Taming a Dragon
by Letting go of Fate
Summary: Laxus had been reluctant to head back to Tenroujima immediately following the seven year gap. But the mysterious and urgent request from Gramps had pulled him back to the sacred island in order to "find a friend and bring her home". He was utterly shocked when he realized what exactly this "friend" was and what he needed to do in order to take her back to the guild...(Laxus/OC)
1. Arc I-1: Where is she?

**Taming a Dragon**

 **Summary:** Laxus had been reluctant to head back to Tenroujima following the seven year gap. But the mysterious and urgent request from Gramps had pulled him back to the sacred island in order to "find a friend and bring her home". He was utterly shocked when he realized what exactly this "friend" was and what he needed to do in order to bring her back to the guild... (Laxus/OC)

This story takes place after the Tenrou arc and will follow the general direction of the manga, with some deviations to some plot points.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail, only Hiro Mashima does.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The soft summer breeze had carried in the scent of lilies that gently tickled his nose. He was vaguely aware of birds chirping and would've noted it more, but the throbbing pain in his head had taken up most of his concentration. Groaning as he slowly sat up, Laxus tried to remember what had happened before he had awoken on the floor of what looked to be a large cavern.

'Where am I?' he thought to himself before something clicked in his memory. 'Ah right. Tenroujima.' He didn't think he would be back on the sacred island this soon, considering he had just spent 7 years here in suspended animation. His Gramps had sent him here on a secret mission to get...

"Shit!" Laxus swore to himself. Quickly he looked around the cavern trying to locate what he came here to retrieve, but it was nowhere in sight. The sudden movement had caused the throbbing in his head to increase and his hands shot up to hold his head in place as he waited for the pain to subside.

'Gramps is going to kill me," he thought. As he sat there in the cavern, his thoughts wandered to why he was here on the island in the first place.

 _He had been sitting at one of the tables in the rickety shack now known as Fairy Tail when Gramps had called him into his office. He had just be reinstated as a member by Gildarts just a couple of days ago and he was slowly adjusting to the Fairy Tail atmosphere once again. He slowly made his way into the makeshift room in the back that was now the Sixth's office._

" _What do you want?" he asked as he sat down in the chair in front of his Gramps' desk. Tensions were still high as the old man was not yet used to having him around since he was the one who excommunicated him from the guild in the first place._

 _His Gramps took a long look at him before he sighed, "I need you to go on mission." He raised his eyebrow as a signal for his grandfather to continue. "It's a retrieval mission. I need you to head to Tenroujima to find a friend and bring her back to the guild"_

" _No offense Gramps, but I just spent 7 years on that island, I'm not really in the mood to head back there in a long time," he scoffed. A retrieval mission? For a woman? He was an S-class mage, there was no need for someone like him to do something as simple as that. Hell, even Natsu would be able to do this by himself. "Why do you need ME to do this?"_

" _Because my boy, you are the only one who can do this," said the old man._

" _What do you mean? And who exactly is this 'friend' of yours?" he questioned._

" _That is not something you need to know at the moment," his grandfather said, "But this is an urgent request of utmost importance. You will leave tomorrow. Alone." He was shocked at the serious expression on the old man's face. He knew he wasn't going to get out of this._

" _Fine Gramps, I'll go," he sighed in defeat._

He had gathered his things and headed out the next day. Before he headed for the pier however, his Gramps had sent him to Porlyusica's house. Apparently there was something important that he had to do there first.

 _Her head shook in disagreement as she taught him the spell he needed to accomplish his task, "It isn't going to like this." He was confused as to why he would need a spell just to capture one woman, but didn't question any further. The old woman must have seen the confusion in his face before answering his unspoken question, "There's no other way. It won't come with you otherwise."_

Laxus had been quickly shuffled out of Porlyusica's home shortly after that. Before she had shut her door, she had yelled about how humans are stupid and never know what they are getting into. At that time, he had not been concerned. There's no way he wouldn't be able to handle a single woman. Now though, he wasn't so sure. His headache had subsided slightly, so he stood up and began to make his way out of the cave in search of the one he came here for.

 _It had taken him a week to reach Tenrou Island. It did not help that most of it was spent on the nasty contraption known as a boat. He silently thanked the gods as his feet touched the warm sand on the edge of the island. Taking in the quiet serene atmosphere of the island, it was hard to imagine that just a short while ago this island had almost been demolished by all the violence between the Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart._

 _Making his way through the island, he followed the instructions his grandfather had given him. Passing through a tunnel labelled with the letter E, he eventually made it out into a large clearing. The air seemed even cleaner here compared to the rest of the island. Maybe because it happened to be the resting place of the First Master. He slowly walked up to her grave and paid his respects before beginning to recite the chant that was taught to him by his grandfather. He was surprised when his grandfather first told him there was a cave hidden behind the First's grave. Hidden using ancient magic, it was meant to protect the one inside…or was it to prevent their escape? He had forgotten the details, but he wasn't overly concerned._

 _As soon as he finished the words of the chant, the area behind the grave began to glow with a soft yellow light. The rock wall that had been behind the grave suddenly disappeared. In its place was the mouth of the cave. Taking a deep breath, he entered._

Laxus made his way out of the cave and back into the clearing where the grave of the First Master still sat. He sniffed the air in the clearing trying to catch the scent of the woman who had fled after knocking him out. There was a problem. Now that he knew her scent, it seemed as if it was all over the island, cloaked over it like a slight mist. It was faint, but it was everywhere. Letting out a sigh, Laxus left the clearing to search the island for the mysterious woman.

 _He had expected the cavern to smell musky and damp, but surprisingly the air remained light and crisp even when he was well inside. The tunnel he was in was dark, but he didn't try to create lightning using his hands to avoid alerting whoever was at the end of the tunnel. The old woman had mentioned that if he valued his life, he would approach her quietly and complete the spell without her noticing. He scoffed at her words when she had told him this, but for the sake of the job he'll keep quiet. Eventually, he began to detect light at the end of the tunnel and when he reached the end it opened up into a cavern large enough to fit a small town. The source of light had come from torches which had lined the walls. In the center of cave there was a large flattened pile of straw and leaves. But what had caught his attention, and caused his jaw to uncharacteristically drop, was the woman lying on top of the straw. Sleeping. Naked._

Laxus growled in frustration. He had combed the entire island, but failed to find the woman. She must have fled the island after waking up. Finding his way back onto the beach, his shoulders fell as he admitted defeat and climbed back onto his boat. Now he had to endure another week long trip filled with all different modes of transportation only to reach the guild empty handed. He had yet to figure out a way to tell his Gramps that he had failed halfway through his mission…he wasn't going to like the sound of that.

Laxus sighed as he looked up to the sky, trying to hold back the impending sickness he knew he was going to feel. This was going to be a long week…

 _Her hair was blonde, almost gold, like the pure light of the sun and it was long to the point where it draped over half her body, covering what lay underneath. His eyes followed it to the outline of the curves of her breasts which, as he quickly noted, were almost the size of the other busty blonde at his guild. He couldn't help but linger as they rose and fell with every breath she took. From there his eyes drifted over to her flat stomach and down the length of her long toned legs before heading back. He gulped. Walking up so he was standing right next to the sleeping beauty, he took a better look at her face which astounded him even further._

 _He didn't think this often, actually ever, but this woman was beautiful. Even by his standards…and he had seen a fair share of woman over his years. The features on her heart-shaped face were soft and delicate, but defined. Her eyes were closed and her eyelashes brushed gently against her skin. Her lips were soft and supple and slightly open as if begging to be kissed._

 _Suddenly, her scent had hit him like a ton of bricks and left him paralyzed as he stood there, eyes wide in shock. Her scent…it was wild and charged with a hint of smoke like the scent of a lightning strike from the strongest storm he had experienced. But…there was more…an underlying aura, similar to those hidden in the scents of his own and his fellow dragon slayers except it was much stronger and came off of her in waves, crashing into him like a tsunami. His brain was struggling to identify this scent until it clicked. He took two quick steps backwards, fear slowly creeping up his spine as he stared as this woman. This underlying aura was identical to that of the monstrous being that almost devastated the island seven years ago…_

" _Shit Gramps. What have you gotten me into," he said out loud. Staring straight down at the woman sleeping softly on the straw, he finally realized what she was._

 _A dragon._

* * *

 _ **A/N: This is my very first Fairy Tail fanfiction...actually it's my first fanfiction in general. I've just recently stumbled upon Fairy Tail (yes I realize that I'm very late to the party), but fell in love with the series and it's characters so I decided to try and write something. I'm not sure how often this story will get updated or if I have time for this at all, so please bear with me and enjoy!**_


	2. Arc I-2: Where is he?

**Chapter 2**

To say she was furious was an understatement. It had taken her two days to find this poor excuse of a guild only find it empty. Even the surrounding area was quiet. She pushed open the guild doors and the slight breeze that carried in managed to kick up a dust storm as she looked inside. It looked as if it hadn't been occupied for years. The only way she could tell that the old building belonged to Fairy Tail was the faded flag that still hung in front of building. Her heart clenched slightly as she took in the state of the building before hardening in anger. The symbol painted on the piece of fabric matched the one she noted on the unconscious lightning dragon slayer that she had left behind in her den. The very dragon slayer that had placed this 'curse' on her.

Walking around, she managed to pick up hints of the scents that used to linger inside the guild hall. Following them outside the guild, she ventured into the town of Magnolia in pursuit. The longer she searched, the longer she fumed about the events that led up to this point.

 _The familiar scent of lilies fluttered through the air as she slowly drifted in and out of consciousness. She had been in this state for a short while now, unable to fully awaken and yet also unable to fully return to slumber. This time it felt as if she was unconscious for years. She had wanted to stay that way. She wasn't ready to wake up yet. She didn't know what had initially caused the spell around her to weaken, but she had a feeling it had something to do with him. She seemed to have sensed him nearby when she first began to drift into consciousness. While in this state she was unable to move, but she still maintained her senses to some degree._

 _A while ago she managed to pick up sounds of battle on the island followed by many voices that she did not recognize. That was unexpected. There were no human inhabitants on this island when she had begun her long slumber many years ago. After listening in for a while, she then heard a voice belonging to woman that was much clearer compared to the others. She must have been standing near the entrance to the cavern. The woman seemed to have asked for something, but she was unsure of what it was exactly. Suddenly she felt a strong magic force coming from the entrance to her den, but it had subsided quickly after. She then heard the woman's hurried footsteps heading farther away from her resting spot. Shortly after, the nature of the sounds had changed drastically. It no longer seemed like sounds from friendly battle. They were sounds of battle between life and death. She heard explosions and screams that seemed to go on until they went silent for a second. Then she heard it. The sound sent involuntary shivers down her body and her mind froze in fear. A roar. Not just any kind, but_ his _roar. Never in her life had she wanted to hear that sound ever again, but it was here. He was on the island. Her mind raced as she struggled to move her limbs, but they failed to listen to her. This was it. She knew that he would stop at nothing to destroy everything in his path, even if they happened to be mere humans. Another deafening roar. Suddenly she was blanketed in warmth which drowned out all the other sounds on the island. It was a familiar warmth and it soothed away her fears. Slowly her mind drifted back into a light slumber and she was unaware how much time had passed since then._

She did not recognize this town. This Magnolia was bright and full of life. Children ran through the streets, laughing and playing. People wandered the markets without a care, completely ignorant of any dangers that may be lurking around. Had this much time passed that humans were no longer in fear of what was around the corner? When she was awake prior, the world had been plagued by fear and war and humans cowered even at the sight of a lone stranger. She had opted to travel on the rooftops and made quick observations about the humans below. She had recalled her wings and tail while following the scents she picked up in order to conserve energy. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice a small child playing on the roof she had leapt towards until it was too late.

 _She was unsure why she had regained slight consciousness again, but immediately she had sensed a human wandering around on the island. Her mind was still groggy from her slumber, but she was still able to tell that the human was getting closer to her resting spot. Eventually she began to pick up sounds drifting in from the entrance of her den. They sounded like incantations when all of a sudden the magic surrounding her and her den started to flutter and in a couple of seconds it faded all together. Did someone undo the cloaking spell?! How is that even possible? Her location and the spell should have been kept secret. Her mind was racing with various thoughts and she barely notice the sounds of footsteps getting closer and closer until they stopped._

 _She was unable to detect the human's scent due to her grogginess until it was right in front of her. Her first observation was that it was male. His aura was musky and smelled like the beginnings of a lightning storm, slightly sweet with a hint of spark. Odd. There was something familiar hidden within the intricacies of this human's aura. Then her mind cleared. He smelled remotely like her father. A dragon. But how could that be possible? He was human. Unless…_

 _If she could growl in her state she would've._

 _A dragon slayer._

"Ah! Sorry lady!" exclaimed the little boy with a smile looking up at her, before his eyes instantly lowered and his face flared up in embarrassment. Her eyes darkened and narrowed at the child who she just bumped into. The boy continued to stare at the ground, face red as a tomato until his eyes flicked up to meet hers and his mouth opened in awe.

"Wow… your eyes," she narrowed her glare even further. "…they're beautiful." She stood there. Stunned. He gave her shy smile before running back inside the building. "B..bye n..now!" She stared in the direction the boy ran off to before letting out a sigh, ignoring the comment about something as trivial as her eyes.

Children. They never realize how easy it is for her to rip through their throats. Well. Until it was too late that is. Turning back in the direction she was headed, she once again allowed her thoughts to drift. She wasn't able to hear what the child whispered as his head poked back out of roof door to stare at her as she leapt onto another building.

"Ne...lady…you should really put on some clothes…" the boy said, his blush still very apparent on his face.

 _Great. This was how her life was to end. Slayed in her sleep by a dragon slayer passing by. She tried to move her limbs but failed once again, like all the other times she had tried to wake. All of a sudden she heard another set of incantations, but this one sounded much different than the first. This one was incredibly dark and ancient. Fear rose within her as she realized what this spell was. A binding spell._

 _Struggling with twice the veracity as before, she tried to break the confines of her slumber when suddenly light blinded her vision. Wait light? She could see. Her eyes flickered wildly as she tried to focus her vision. Slowly, she began to see the shape and silhouette of a man hovering over her body. He had short blonde hair that came out of his head in spikes with two strands that fell over his forehead. His eyes, which were a stormy blue, were wide open in what looked to be shock as she noticed the lightning shaped scar over one of them._

 _There was a stutter in the incantations, but they did not stop. She began to feel the weight of the spell seeping into her body. She felt her life force slowly diminish and retreat within her. She began to feel a searing pain around her neck and it felt like someone was branding her skin with marks. Unable to scream from the pain, the marks reached around from the back her neck until they met in the middle of her collar. She knew she didn't have much time left. He was going to bind herself to him._

 _While the spell was decreasing her power, it also managed to clear away more of the sluggish, cloudy feeling she had from her sleep. Using the last of her energy in a final push, she managed to propel herself up from the ground before swinging her leg straight into the man's head, sending him crashing into the ground, effectively knocking him unconscious. Her body had fell forward and she now lay face first in the straw as she came to her senses. With her arms shaking, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, barely having enough strength to accomplish the task._

 _Her relieved mood of having saved herself quickly left as she looked down at her chest. Black brush-like strokes came together in the middle of her collar._

 _The mark was whole. The spell was completed…_

 _She was immediately filled with dread as she realized what had just happened. She was bound. To a dragon slayer. Her eyes quickly darted to the unconscious dragon slayer lying in front of her and was filled with pure rage. How dare he bind her to him?! The sound of crackling electricity filled the air as she held her clawed hand up, lightning dancing around it. She brought her hand down towards the human intending to kill him with one blow when suddenly the marks around her neck pulsed. Pain coursed through her body and with a scream she had collapsed back onto the straw. Panting as the pain subsided, she tried again and again to kill the human in front of her, but each and every time the collar of marks around her neck would send wave after wave of blinding pain throughout her entire body._

 _She leaned back on her hands as she gazed towards the ceiling of her den in utter frustration. She was unable to kill the cursed dragon slayer, the collar had just proven that much. Coming to that realization she did the next thing that came to her mind._

 _Run._

 _Scrambling as she got onto her feet, she took one last look at the dragon slayer lying on the ground when her eyes caught something on his left torso. His shirt had risen up slightly to reveal…That mark. Her eyes widened in recognition. Why that? Why them? Shaking her head not wanting to think about it anymore, she willed her legs to move as she ran towards the entrance of her den, stumbling and tripping over them as if she was a newborn fawn trying to walk for the first time._

The scents from the abandoned guild building had led her to another run-down shack hidden in a small clearing inside the forest. By now the sun had set and the night sky covered the forest in darkness. The only source of light came from the stars that danced in the sky. The wind blew gently, caressing her long golden hair as it rested against her thighs.

For a second she thought she had come to another empty building, but she quickly picked up on sounds coming from inside the guild. As much as she would like to barge in now, she decided against being reckless. Instead she opted to wait out the night in the forest. She wanted to test the current limits of her powers now that most of it had been sealed away. Recalling her failed attempts to kill the slayer, she knew she was still able to summon her lightning through her limbs concentrating it in her hands or her feet. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she called forth the power within her. The sky began to rumble as dark clouds rolled in effectively covering the stars from view. The familiar scent of an incoming lightning storm blew into the forest vaguely reminding her of the dragon slayer. Her lips curled into smirk when seconds later, a large lightning bolt crashed into the tree in front of her completely frying it to a crisp.

Interesting. Guess she wasn't as powerless as she previously thought.

The rest of the night was spent experimenting with her powers. It was amazing how no one had heard the tiny explosions deep inside the forest. The thunderstorm must have covered it up…

 _Her body had soon adjusted to being fully awake and she managed to run to the edge of the island where she stumbled upon the sandy beach. Knowing that she would be caught if she stayed, she tried to call forth her wings, but instead of the strong, solid appendages she was used to, her wings were reduced to a simple replica, made of lightning and electricity, which arose from the remnants of her life force. Her tail came forth in a similar manner. She was shocked at how much the binding spell was able to seal her powers, but these wings were still able to carry her body weight. With that she flapped them once, twice then flew into the night sky, away from the island that was her home for over fifty years._

She once again found herself standing in front of the guild doors the next morning. While she had surprisingly retained more of her power than she had expected, remembering the damage that the dragon slayer had done to her set off her temper once again. Electricity began to surround her body, crackling as it discharged around her. If only she hadn't ran away…

 _She had flown for a couple of hours before she landed down on a grassy hill by a port town. Hargeon the sign had said when she flew by it a couple minutes prior. She took a deep breath to let her thoughts settle…_

 _Shit! Why the hell did she just run away? She could've just forced the dragon slayer to remove the seal when he woke up. He wouldn't know that she was unable to land a killing blow to his person. Or she could've flown him to the nearest volcano and dropped him in. She was certain that his death would release the curse that is around her neck. Her mind conjured up another hundred ways to kill the damned slayer before she let out a groan at her stupidity for leaving the island. She thought about heading back to find him, but it had been hours since she left, he certainly would've left by now…_

 _How would she be able to find him? She had no idea where the dragon slayer would go…wait. Her mind flashed back to the guild mark on his torso._

 _Fairy Tail._

 _He will return there eventually. She will find him there._

The electricity surrounding her grew with force. She refused to be shackled down to a mere human. She'd become a disgrace to her entire race. The sounds of laughter and playful banter of those ignorant to her problems seeped through the guild doors and added fuel to the fire.

That's it. She's going to kill the pathetic coward who dared to place this spell on her in her sleep.

With a deafening roar and a loud crackle of lightning, she kicked down the guild doors.

 _Dragon slayer._

 _You shall release me._

* * *

 ** _A/N: This was the second of the two introductory chapters. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be available, but I will try my best!_**


	3. Arc I-3: Found you

**Taming A Dragon**

" _Shit Gramps. What have you gotten me into," he said out loud. Staring straight down at the woman sleeping softly on the straw, he finally realized what she was._

 _A dragon._

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Laxus felt like shit. Halfway on his journey back to the port, the clear skies decided it would be nice to conjure up a storm. A storm with heavy winds. Heavy winds which happened to cause large waves to crash against the side of his boat leaving him more motion sick than ever. It was as if the sky was punishing him for his failure…

 _He shook his head quickly to get his head out of the trance he caught himself in. He had to cast the spell before she woke up. Dealing with an angry dragon wasn't something he wanted to do. Especially not after Acnologia…_

 _Taking a deep breath, he began to recite the incantations that Porlyusica taught him. If he was being honest, he had no idea what these incantations were for. While he was casting the spell, he started to notice these black marks searing themselves into her skin, crossing in and over themselves. He began to find himself second-guessing this task…_

 _The marks slowing reached out from behind her neck and started travel down towards her collar as he continued on. He was almost done with the spell when all of a sudden her eyes sprang open, flickering around in a frenzy until they focused on him. For a second he was mesmerized by the intensity of her gaze and stuttered with the incantation. Her eyes were large with irises the colour of liquid gold and her pupils narrowed almost into slits, similar to those of a cats. They were definitely not human._

 _Gathering his senses, he continued with the incantation and he could tell she was beginning to panic as her eyes seemed to try to search for an escape route. Her body didn't seem to obey her though. As he was finishing the last couple of words in the spell, he noticed the marks on her collar starting to meet in the middle. He looked back into her eyes and saw intense anger and…determination? His lips uttered the last word of the incantation when all of a sudden her body sprung forward and all he felt was a sharp pain to his right temple before his vision was filled with darkness._

Laxus still couldn't believe that a woman managed to knock him unconscious with one kick. He held back a groan as another wave rocked the side of the boat. Just another couple of days…then he'll be off this god forsaken mode of transportation…

* * *

Levy had been having a pretty good day. She had just finished another encyclopedia she had picked up from a local library on her last job. She had then spent the rest of the day chatting with Lily about random topics and more importantly, and she'd only admit this to herself, a certain dragon slayer is due to come home any day now. He had went on a job with Team Natsu and Wendy two weeks ago. Lily had stayed behind saying he'd keep her company. She had a feeling he was told to stay behind to protect her… Levy's puffed in annoyance. She can very well take care of herself. She qualified to take the S-Class exams! Immediately after that thought her mood dampened slightly as she thought back to the events that happened that day. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Levy took a look around the guild. While it was definitely smaller than their old place it still held the aura of being Fairy Tail. The mood around the guild had improved significantly since the Tenrou group had come back. Levy smiled at the laughter and shouting from their regular fights…

The doors to the guild were suddenly blasted inwards, flying across the room before crashing into the back of the guild. Levy screamed. At first all she could see a cloud of lightning and electricity crackling at the entrance to the guild, but she then noticed the body of a woman standing right in the middle of it all.

"What is going on?!" someone shouted from the side of the guild. Levy could hear people groaning and coughing around her as the dust from the door's impact settled, but she was frozen in fear at the level of power she could sense from this woman. Levy thought she heard the woman growling as she started making her way into the guild, her eyes sweeping across the guild as if she was looking for something.

"Where is the Fairy Tail dragon slayer?" the woman growled. Dragon slayer?

"Who are you?! What do you think you are doing to our guild?!" Mira shouted. The woman's gaze shifted towards the silver haired beauty.

"I won't say this again," the woman snarled. "Where is the dragon slayer!"

Levy's mind started to panic. The Master was off at a meeting, Team Natsu is still on their mission, and Laxus and the Raijinshuu were gone who knows where. There's no one here to protect the guild…

"What makes you think we would tell you even if we did know?! Breaking down doors is not Man!" shouted Elfman before he jumped towards the woman, aiming to throw a punch.

"Elfman wait!" Mira shouted in alarm. But it was too late. Before they could even blink, Elfman's body had flown into the side of the guild. The only evidence that the woman had struck him was the residual lightning crackling around her foot. "Elfman!" Mira ran over to where Elfman was and checked him over for injuries. Thankfully, he seemed okay despite electricity coursing over his body. How did this woman manage to kick Elfman with such speed and power?

The rest of the guild members, angered by what was happening, began to attack the woman all at once. Levy could only watch in shock as they were all thrown back by the woman with either a kick or a punch. But they didn't give up. Each and every one of those belonging to Fairy Tail simply got up and attacked again, only to be thrown back once more. The longer this happened, the more the lightning cloud surrounding the woman seemed to grow with intensity…

She was getting annoyed. These humans were pathetic to think that they could even touch her. They came wave after wave, throwing punches or magic in her direction. This was getting nowhere and the longer it went on the more irritated she felt. The dragon slayer was obviously not in the tiny shack, but she had no idea where he could be now. She looked around the guild until her gaze fell on a petit little human with blue hair staring at her in shock. Her lips curled into a smile. She just had an idea…

Levy didn't even have time to scream when the woman suddenly materialized in front of her like a bolt of lightning. The woman's smile widened before a clawed hand wrapped itself around her neck and spun her around to face her guild members, her back now pressed against the woman's chest. Speaking of the woman's chest…why is she not…?!

"Levvvy!" shouted Jet and Droy. They began to make a move towards her, but immediately froze when they heard the woman let out another growl. A growl that sent shivers down Levy's back.

"Don't. Move." she warned. "Or this pretty little one might not live to see another day." One of her claws began to trace along Levy's neck and Levy could feel her hairs raise in anticipation. "Now. You seem unwilling to tell me where the dragon slayer is. No worries. You can just go and find him _for_ me." She smiled once again directly at Jet and Droy who fumed in anger at Levy's capture. "You better hurry though. I don't have much patience."

Jet stared angrily at the woman before turning to look at Droy. "Droy you stay here and watch over Levy. I'm going to run and find Natsu and Gajeel. They'll know what to do!" Droy nodded nervously before Jet raced off out of the guild. In the meantime, Mira snuck off into the back of the guild and called the Master. Utterly shocked at the news over the communications lacrima, the Master let Mira know he will be back as soon as he can.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Levy couldn't hold back her thoughts anymore.

"Why are you not wearing clothes?!" she blurted out, face immediately turning as red as a tomato. She could very clearly feel the woman's breasts pressed up against the back of her head and it was making her very uncomfortable…

All of a sudden it seemed as if the woman's lack of dress was noticed by everyone else in the guild.

"Whaaaat?!" everyone shouted. Despite their own fears, the men started to inch forward to get a better look at the cleavage that was peeking out behind Levy's head. The woman was taller than Levy by at least a head and her long golden hair managed to cover the rest of her body much to the dismay of the men. The woman looked down at her own body before realizing the same thought.

"I had forgotten how obsessed humans were with garments," she sighed uncharacteristically before concentrating her lightning over her body. Levy flinched as she heard the lighting crack behind her, but surprisingly she felt no shock or pain from it. Slowly with her cheeks still flushed, Levy turned around to look at the woman only to get a mouth full of…fabric? The woman was now wearing a black and gold corset with tight black pants and combat boots.

Did this woman just make clothes out of thin air with her own lightning? And if she could, why didn't she do this before?! Slowly Levy moved her gaze up to look at the woman's face. She immediately noted how beautiful this woman was. She was ethereal. What stood out the most was her eyes that looked like gold and had black pupils similar to a cat's. Was this woman not human? The woman seemed to notice her stare as her gaze locked onto hers. Immediately glancing away, Levy looked back down before realizing that she was staring right at her breasts. She squeaked and instinctively tried to jump backwards, but failed as the woman's hand was still at her neck.

She had forgotten how odd humans could be. Especially this blue-haired one. Aside from her initial fright during the fight, if she could even call that pathetic display a fight, this little one didn't seem to be afraid. How odd and refreshing. It reminded her of another little girl she used to know…with long wavy, yellow blonde hair…so full of innocence, just like this one. She shook her head slightly to rid herself of the memories…the past is the past. Standing here in the middle of the guild was starting to get a little tiring so she looked around for someplace to sit, noticing the tense looks she was getting from the rest of the humans in the guild. She picked up the little human by the back of her shirt, causing the blue-haired girl to let out a little squeal, before sitting down at one of the tables that were still intact after the fight. She placed the girl in her lap before her clawed hand returned to its place around the girl's neck, the other one cradling her own head as her elbow rested against the table top.

Now she just had to wait.

The rest of the guild looked on with shock, but slowly began to relax a little after a while when they realized that the odd woman wasn't going to hurt Levy...yet. Mira had managed to convince Elfman not to do anything more reckless until the Master returned. Slowly they started to clean up the knocked over tables and chairs and attempted to fix the doors of the guild. However, there was always someone placed on Levy watch to make sure the woman didn't try anything funny.

Levy on the other hand was as tense as a rock. Wha...what was she doing sitting on this lady's lap?! Her mind spent an hour mulling over this fact until she mustered up the courage to speak to her. For some odd reason she didn't feel afraid. There was something oddly calming about the woman despite the constant scowl she had directed at whoever was on watch duty at the time.

"Umm…my name is Levy," she started. The woman's gaze was instantly directed towards the blue-haired girl.

"I think that much is already obvious," the woman said as she cut her off. "Especially considering the number of times your guild mates shouted it not too long ago."

Levy blushed, "Oh...ya...haha. Umm…well what's your name then?" The woman's eyes instantly narrowed causing Levy to flinch slightly.

"If you think I would gift you my name so easily, you are not a very smart human," she snarled. "Names hold considerable power. You would do well to protect yours as well." That reminded Levy of a couple of spell books she had read previously. The weird lady was right. There were many spells that require one's name. She also read somewhere else that if you personally give someone your name, you also give them the power to use your name in those kinds of spells. This woman was very careful. While pondering the lady's words, Levy's brain also picked up on the other thing she said as well.

"You know, you call us humans as if you aren't one yourself. What are you?" Levy asked curiously.

The woman smirked, "That you also don't need to know. You are quite a curious little one aren't you?"

Levy fumed from embarrassment as she cried, "I'm not thaaat little!"

This blue-haired woman continues to confound her. "Why are you not afraid?" she asked. Levy turned slightly around to answer.

"Why should I be? If you really wanted to hurt me you would've by now," she answered with a smile. It was then that Levy noticed for the second time those strange markings on the woman's chest that reached around her neck. The first time was when she was initially captured. Those markings…she feels as if she has seen it in a book before…

The woman opened her mouth to speak but Levy cut her off.

"What are those markings on your chest?" Levy asked as she pointed towards them. The woman's expression immediately darkened.

"That's enough," she said forcefully as she swatted Levy's hand away. One of her claws lightly nicked Levy's hand causing her to let out a tiny cry of pain. A small trickle of blood went down the back of her hand as Levy quickly turned back around and cradled her injured limb to her chest. Suddenly, the woman began to growl underneath her breath. Slowly the growls grew louder and Levy could even feel the vibrations coming from the woman herself. Electricity started to spark around the both of them.

"Dragon slayers…" The woman's eyes narrowed in anger while her clawed hand instantly wrapped itself around Levy's neck once again. Dragon slayers?! That means!

"HEY! What do you think you are doing to Levy?!" a voice shouted from the entrance of the guild. Levy looked up from her hand to see Natsu running towards her and the woman while the rest of Team Natsu followed along with heavily panting Jet. She even saw a flicker of long black hair belonging to a certain dragon slayer.

"Natsu! Lucy!" Levy shouted in joy before whispering, "Gajeel…"

The lightning surrounding the woman grew stronger. "You think you can just bring in any particular dragon slayers to kill me?" she barked out a laugh.

"I heard you were looking for a dragon slayer lady," said Gajeel. "And Shrimp! What do you think you are doing getting yourself caught like this?!" Levy blushed slightly. It wasn't her fault! "Oi Lily! Where the fuck are you?!" The aforementioned exceed who previously was nowhere to be found suddenly crawled out from underneath an overturned table in the corner of the guild. He was still trembling in fear. "Sor..sorr..y…Ga..Gajeeel…" his voice trembled. "There was just so much lightning…" Upon sighting the lightning cloud around the woman once again, he fainted on the spot.

Annoyed by what was happening, the woman growled, "Wrong dragon slayers…are all humans this pathetic?" Jet cowered in fear. Levy's eyes widened. Wait…if neither Natsu nor Gajeel was the dragon slayer she was looking for then who…!

"Laxus! She's looking for Laxus!" Levy shouted.

"But where is he?" Lucy asked. "Master sent him out on a job last week, but we have no idea where he went."

"Ah!" Mira suddenly shouted from behind the bar. "Laxus carries a communications lacrima. We can try to contact him!"

* * *

Just one more day on this god forsaken boat. Laxus was sick and tired of transportation. The next job he takes he's definitely going to walk there. He was about to take another forced nap, when suddenly his communications lacrima started ringing inside his bag. Taking out he looked at who was calling him. Odd. Why was the guild calling him all of a sudden? He answered the call and was about to speak when…

"Laxus! Where are you right now?" Mira asked nervously through the lacrima. What is wrong with her? Why is she so tense…? Before he could answer, he saw Jet push Mira out of the vision field of the lacrima, his face in total panic.

"LAXUS! HURRY UP AND GET YOUR ASS BACK TO THE GUILD!" Jet shouted. "THE…THERE'S A MONSTER HERE AND IT'S ASKING FOR YOU!-" The lacrima then immediately cut out.

Laxus sat there on his boat stunned, motion sickness temporarily gone. What the hell was happening back at the guild?! Who the hell is this monster Jet was talking about? Another wave hit the boat and his motion sickness came back with a vengeance. Damn it. He was in no condition to lightning teleport his way back to the guild. This monster will have to wait until he reached the port the next morning. He hoped they would be able to hold out until then…

* * *

As soon as the woman heard the word 'monster' uttered from the man's lips, her anger spiked. Lightning shot out through her hands and towards the man before she could reel it back in. Levy screamed as Jet just barely dodged the attack and the lightning bolt hit the lacrima instead, shattering it to pieces. Seeing as she missed her target, the woman clenched her fists slightly, her claws digging slightly into Levy's skin and causing her to flinch.

"Shrimp!" Gajeel yelled. "Crazy woman you better let her go," His hand balled itself into a fist and was about to launch towards the woman, but Natsu beat him to the punch. Literally.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu jumped forward his fists ablaze.

"Natsu wait!" Levy shouted in warning. This wasn't going to end well…

The woman's lips curled into a smile before lifting her hand and swatting the dragon slayer away like a fly. His body crashed straight into the side of guild. Elfman shuddered slightly at the feeling of déjà vu.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted in worry. How was Natsu hit so easily?! Natsu quickly rose up from the rubble and attacked again. This time however Gajeel joined into the fight.

Round two it is. The woman smirked as again and again she swatted away the two dragon slayers away all while still comfortably sitting on the bench. "This is what you call dragon slayers?! Pathetic!" Wendy attempted to join the fight, but Gray held her back. "It's too dangerous." Even Erza stayed back, somehow sensing this was a fight meant for dragon slayers. The fire and iron dragon slayers continued to try and land hits on the woman, but to no avail. After five minutes Natsu laid on the ground, flat on his back, completely exhausted. Gajeel, however, kept on trying.

"Iron Dragon's Club! Iron Dragon's Sword!" Again and again he tried, but time and time he was blasted straight back by the woman who looked absolutely unharmed by their attacks. Levy's heart clenched in worry.

The woman raised her brow while looking at the iron dragon slayer, "Dragon slayer…why do you fight so hard for this little girl?" She looked down at the blue-haired girl still sitting in her lap after all this. She lowered her head to sniff at the girl's neck prompting an instant blush to creep up the petite girl's face. Her scent held underlying hints of steel, but there was no sign of a mating mark. "Is she your mate?"

Levy didn't think her face could get any more red. In fact she could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears. She glanced over at Gajeel who was frozen in shock. His face also held obvious signs of a blush. Even Lucy felt a little embarrassed for her friend. They remained like this for a couple of seconds until their awkward silence was broken by Natsu, who had gotten back up at that point.

"We fight hard because Levy is our nakama. It doesn't matter after that," he stated with conviction.

The woman's dark laughter suddenly rang throughout the guild, "Nakama?! Why would you ever need nakama? They will only ever abandon you!"

"I don't know what kind of nakama you had lady, but here at Fairy Tail, we would _never_ abandon friends. We are family here!" growled Natsu walking towards her once again.

She sneered at his remark. "No. You're wrong. No matter what you try to do young dragon slayer you will abandon your precious nakama. You're human. It's inevitable. The only ones who have the luxury of never are those that are immortal…hm…and even then they will leave you."

"Haaa?! Oi Lady I don't know why you are talking about something so far into the future, but worrying about things I can't change is not my style. I like to live in the present. And right now, you are holding our friend hostage so you better let her go!" Natsu shouted. His comment stunned her. She wasn't thinking about the future. She was speaking the truth about the past. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice when Natsu's forehead slammed into her own. She instantly pushed back, both growling as their foreheads grinded against each other, her lightning sparking against his flame. Levy was completely forgotten in between the two as they held a small glaring contest. Natsu took a deep inhale before he-

Wait. What was that smell? Natsu took a couple of sniffs. He wasn't able to tell earlier as he was too focused on the fight, but now that he was so close to the woman he could make out her scent. It held undertones that were so familiar…! He instantly bounded backwards, crashing into Gajeel as he was attempting to get closer as well.

"Oi-" Gajeel started, but paused as he saw the pale look on Natsu's face. Natsu's eyes were still staring at the woman before them. It was very faint, but Gajeel heard the words Natsu whispered, and his head whipped around to look at the woman himself.

"Dra…Dragon…she smells like a dragon…"

The entire guild fell silent before they all shouted in disbelief. "DRAGON?!" There was a huge commotion inside the guild for a couple minutes. The dragon kept a tight grip on her hostage as she impatiently waited for things to settle down.

"You're…a dragon?" Natsu said softly. He didn't know how to react. He was still in shock. Dragons were supposed to be gone. He hasn't seen one in 7 years since Igneel had left him. Wait. Does this mean that this woman potentially knows where Igneel is? He was about to ask, but another timid dragon slayer beat him to the punch.

"A..ano," Wendy started, wiggling herself out of Gray's grasp and running towards the woman. "Dragon onee-san. Does this mean you know where Grandeeney is?"

"And Igneel!" Natsu piped up, finally getting his thoughts together. Even Gajeel asked about Metallicana. All previous aggression dissipated for this one moment as the thought of seeing their dragons again was at the forefront of their minds.

Igneel. The King of the fire dragons. Grandeeney. The Queen of the sky dragons. Metallicana. King of the iron dragons. Ah…these little ones must have belonged to them. They were the great dragons from the war. Having been born in the middle of the Civil War, she had never met these mighty dragons themselves, but she had heard of their apparent fate…

Despite knowing how cruel she would sound, she still laughed, "You're dragons?...They are dead. All of them. They died during the Great War"

"No way…There's no way that Grandeeney is gone! She was with me! Just 7 years ago…well now actually 14, but still! You're lying! She's just left for something important! She'll come back I know it!" Wendy cried. Erza leapt forward to hold Wendy in her arms while Charle tried to calm her down. Natsu himself was trying very hard to keep his emotions reigned in, his fights tightening by his side. Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder, which only helped slightly.

The dragon's eyebrows furrowed in genuine confusion, while her eyes held a hint of sadness that went undetected by the others. "14 years ago? Sorrryy, but almost all the dragons died 400 years ago," she said sarcastically, hiding the pain she felt. "You might as well accept the cold hard truth." _I did._ Her father had died during the war, slain in battle. It was something she never wanted to relive again. "You're all alone little slayer. It's best you learned that now while you're young."

Natsu's head was tilted forward with his bangs covering his face. "Wendy is not alone. She has all of us." He lifted his head and stared at the dragon with a burning glare, his body bursting into flames. "And you have no right to talk like that about our parents!" Once again he leapt forward, with more passion than before, flames covering his fists. He was so blinded in his rage that he forgot about Levy, who was still right in between the two of them. Seeing Natsu flying towards her, Levy closed her eyes and braced for impact. Off to the side, Gajeel realized what was about to happen, but he was too slow to react. Natsu was going to hit her.

Unprepared for his sudden outburst of power, the dragon only had time to lift her spare arm to block, covering both herself and the girl in her arms. She winced as she felt a slight pain from his attack, her body moving slightly backwards into the table. Guess she wasn't really as strong as she thought _._ But she managed to retaliate a split second later, effectively punching Natsu into the floor.

Levy turned her head in shock and looked at the woman who had just saved her. Always perceptive, she had noticed this almost since the beginning, but the dragon was never on the offensive. Except for that one shot aimed at Jet, but even then the attack seemed slow, compared to the speed she used to defend herself. In fact, that was all this woman did. Defend. Why? And why did she protect her?

Natsu made a move to stand up.

"Natsu stop it!" Levy cried.

He paused in his step. "Why are you defending this monster?!"

"Be-because she isn't one!" The rest of Team Natsu looked on in shock at the passion coming from Levy's voice. "The entire time, all she has been doing was defending herself. She only retaliates because you've all been attacking her! Before you've arrived everything was calm. Or well as calm as it could've been." She was starting to ramble. "So please just stop fighting and let's just wait for Laxus to come back."

"Levy's right," said Erza placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder to hold him back. "While I don't like this current situation any more than you do, there is nothing else we can do while the dragon has a hold of Levy."

Natsu felt defeated, "Levy…all we wanted to do was protect you…"

"I know Natsu and I appreciate that, but I can protect myself you know," Levy smiled. "I was chosen to be part of the S-Class exams too."

"Ah…you're right," he said softly before perking back up. "Sorry! I got carried away." And somehow with that Natsu and the rest of his team settled down into a quiet, but less tense atmosphere. Gajeel on the other hand, spent the rest of the day glaring at the dragon who was still holding Levy hostage.

* * *

Makarov didn't know what to expect when he returned to the guild the next morning. But what he saw definitely wasn't anything he would've expected to see. The guild doors were open, but were crooked and looked as if they were poorly reattached to the frame. Inside there were multiple dents and holes in the walls. The guild looked as if it had been trashed. However, what surprised him the most was seeing Natsu leap towards an unfamiliar woman with flames surrounding his fits while shouting 'Oi Rairyuu! Let's fight!' before he was unceremoniously slammed into the floor by a…a tail made of lightning?! 'Haaa! You are three hundred years too early to pick a fight with me slayer!'

Makarov's jaw was close to hitting the floor as he laid eyes on the woman who just defeated Natsu in one hit. Who is this bombshell beauty who happened to grace the presence of his guild? Ahh her long blonde hair, that gorgeously full chest and those beautiful gold…gold cat-like eyes? Wait…

" _Sixth Master. I need to you find someone for me. A friend. She has long blonde hair and eyes like the colour of liquid gold and shaped like a neko's. Find her and bring her back home to the guild. Please…"_

" _Of-of course!…First Master…"_

" _Tell Laxus to go. His lightning magic will help him. He is the only one who can do this. Tell him to head to my grave and recite this spell. It will guide him to her. Also, tell him to see Porlyusica-san. She will know what he needs."_

Wait. This woman was the one the First Master had asked him to find?! And shouldn't Laxus be with her? Where is that brat? And did he just hear the word dragon?!

…First Master…what sort of friends do you have?! If Makarov's jaw wasn't hitting the floor before it was now. A dragon…

* * *

She was starting to get irritated…and annoyed. What is wrong with this guild?! Here she was a threat, holding one of their friend's captive and within one day they've reverted back to the way they were right before she crashed the guild?! They were laughing and shouting like it was a party…and don't get her started on the one apparently named Natsu. Ever since this morning, when he practically flew into the guild fists ablaze, he had been asking her to fight him. This was the fourth time this morning that she had to fend him off. Even the ice-mage had tried once or twice! It had gotten to the point where she was too lazy to use her arms and simply slammed him into the floor with her lightning tail. Electricity crackled in the air as it flicked back and forth behind her in annoyance and utter confusion.

Levy on the other hand was quite sore. She had spent all of yesterday and all of this morning sitting in this woman's lap. The only time she was allowed some rest was when the guild closed up for the day. The dragon had created a barrier of lightning surrounding them and their table before she had let her go. She spent the night with her head in her arms as she leaned over the table. How she managed to relax enough to fall asleep she didn't know. Maybe it had something to do with her odd trust in this woman. Or maybe it was because she could sense a certain dragon slayer lurking up in the guild rafters, watching over her. Regardless, this morning when she woke up she was surprisingly very comfortable…and for a second she thought she had woken up on her side with her head in the someone's lap and a hand stroking her hair, but that thought was immediately displaced when she had felt her head against the table a moment later.

Levy was continuously amazed by the woman who still held onto her like she was a doll. Despite her previous behaviour the day before, she had remarkable patience if she was still capable of dealing with Natsu's antics for so long. What astounded her the most was how she had somehow let Lucy convince her to cut her hair after the blonde woman had noticed the dragon's hair pooling on the floor due to its incredibly long length. The dragon was wary of Cancer at first when Lucy called him out, but after sizing him up, she had let him do as he pleased. Levy tried hard not to giggle at how cute the situation was at the time. Now the dragon's golden hair was at a reasonable level, stopping at the top of her waist. Mirajane's voice suddenly pulled Levy out of her thoughts.

"Ah Master!" greeted the barmaid. "Glad to see you home! How was your trip?" The dragon's ears perked.

"Ah…Mira. Didn't you say we were experiencing some problems at the guild?" Makarov asked. He could feel the dragon's eyes on him as he walked towards the bar to talk to the young barmaid.

"Ah…about that. It seems as if things are currently under control," the barmaid answered nervously.

"Well. I see we have a new friend here." Makarov turned to gaze at the woman once again. "Care to introduce me?"

"Ah, well. We don't exactly know her name…Natsu's just been calling her Rairyuu since she's seems to be a lightning dragon," Mira said.

Said dragon couldn't seem to take her eyes off of the little old man. She had caught his scent when he originally walked in, but couldn't quite figure it out. Why does he smell so familiar? Her eyes suddenly widened in recognition.

 _Yuri._

However her thoughts were unable to wander for long as she suddenly detected another familiar scent nearby. Any playful annoyance and slight enjoyment she's had since she arrived at the guild was instantly wiped from her mind.

Levy sensed the change in mood almost instantly. She could once again feel the vibrations of the dragon's growl and lightning began to spark and gather around them once again, but this time there was an undertone of darkness within it. Levy slowly looked up at the dragon's face and for the second time felt a pang of fear as she saw the anger in her eyes. Her lips were curled upwards as she bared her fangs. She turned back around and followed the woman's sharp gaze towards the guild entrance. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted off the dragon's lap and dropped onto the bench next to her. Levy's eyes widened in shock. The dragon seemed to have suddenly forgotten all about her. Immediately, she felt a pair of strong arms pull her away from the dragon and she felt herself being pulled back against a hard chest. She blushed when she realized who it was. Gajeel.

She could sense him. His scent wafted in like the beginnings of a summer storm. The lightning cloud grew around her as she prepared herself. Suddenly, lightning crashed down from the sky and she saw him.

"Dragon slayer," she growled loudly. Her legs bent as she prepared to spring forward.

"Oi Mira! Where is this monst-," Laxus grunted as something instantly crashed into him as soon as he entered the guild after teleporting himself back to the guild as soon as he landed at Hargeon. His body flew backwards into the door frame and he felt a clawed hand around his throat. His eyes focused and all he could see were dark gold eyes glaring straight at him with rage.

"Dragon slayer…release me now!" Her grip tightened and her claws began to draw blood. Everyone seemed to miss the slight flinch she made as the marks around her neck began to pulse.

Laxus grunted from the slight pain he felt. Then his brain finally registered who or rather what was in front of him. "Yo-you!" he blurted in shock. Why the hell was she here?! He spent days looking for this woman and she was here in the guild the entire time?!

The rage boiling inside her was suddenly set free when she heard his voice for the first time. Letting out a roar, she punched the dragon slayer with a lightning infused fist. Laxus barely had time to move his head and dodge out of the way. She was a lightning dragon? Just his luck. His movement caused her grip around his neck to loosen slightly allowing Laxus to free himself and send a lightning strike back at the woman, pushing her backwards. She winced slightly from the hit before springing back forward to send a roundhouse kick towards his head.

"Oh no I'm not letting you do that again," Laxus said as he raised his arm up to block her kick, wincing at the mere strength of the blow. Once again the marks sent another wave of pain throughout her body and she let out a small cry. It seems as if the more damage she tries to dish out upon the dragon slayer, the more pain she receives herself.

Laxus apparently seemed to notice himself as well. "Oi woman. You might want to stop. You're only hurting yourself."

"Shut up!" Another kick towards his legs. Another pulse of pain. Another punch. Another wave of agony. "This is your fault! Undo the spell you wretched dragon slayer!"

Suddenly a trio of voices shouted from the entrance to the guild. "What do you think you are doing to Laxus?!" Shit they've returned. This was terrible timing. Laxus wasn't prepared to handle the chaos caused by the Raijinshuu whenever they think he is in danger.

"Guys can it. I'm handling this dragon," he said as he defended another punch and then a whip from her tail made of lightning. "DRAGON?!" Freed moved to protest, but was held back by Gray who convinced him not to interfere. Laxus could sense that they were unhappy with just standing by as he was getting attacked, but surprisingly they made no further move to help. Perhaps they were scared by the dragon. Hell even he was slightly intimidated. This woman was crazy!

Damn she's strong. Her attacks went on and on with Laxus barely able to defend them in time, but he made no move to retaliate. He didn't need to. The dragon herself was sustaining major amounts of damage with each additional blow she made. Soon enough both of them were on their hands and knees on the ground, panting with exhaustion and weakness. Her tail had dissipated when she ran out of energy to keep it materialized.

Noticing his grandfather sitting by the bar with a contemplating gaze, Laxus called out to him, "Oi Gramps! What the hell do I do with this woman? Why is she out to get me! What exactly did you make me do?!" Her eyes widened in shock. He didn't even know what he has done?! She growled in frustration as she tried to stand once again, but was stopped by a large hand blocking her way to the dragon slayer.

"Enough," Makarov's loud voice bellowed throughout the guild. He sighed before continuing, "The spell you put on her is a binding spell. It was crafted many centuries ago in order to bind demons and dragons to the caster of the spell. The mark is proof of a successful binding. It significantly limits the dragon's power and causes severe pain to its body should they try to attack their owner." He had seen this spell in books he has read before. This was not what he expected to happen when he sent Laxus out on this mission on behalf of the First Master. Did she know this would be the result? "The spell can only be lifted by the one who casted it or-"

"With the caster's death," she hissed, trying to get up once again, but she simply collapsed onto the floor, her arms no longer able to support her weight. It's no use. She knew she wouldn't be able to kill him. She had tried when they were still in her den and this fight now was proof that she wouldn't even be able to come close to killing the dragon slayer without killing herself. Even now the waves of pain where still crashing through her body. She could barely breathe.

Makarov sighed, "Yes, but that is why the mark is there. To prevent that from happening. Now I'm sorry Miss Dragon, but I'm afraid we can't let you go. You are too big a threat to the outside world should we set you free" He paused, bracing himself for the commotion that was to come. "Instead, Laxus here will take care of you and once you feel up to it you are welcome to join Fairy Tail."

There was a split second of silence before everyone shouted simultaneously, "Whaaat?!"

"You're kidding me old man! There's no way I'm going to play babysitter to this crazy woman!" Laxus complained. Said woman glared at him from her place on the floor.

"Master! You can't do this! She was just trying to kill him!" Evergreen shouted. The Raijinshuu couldn't believe their ears. How could the Master permit the dragon who's been trying to kill his grandson for the past half hour to even come near him?! Let alone stay with him!

"Enough! There will be no more complaints! Laxus take Miss Dragon here and get her patched up."

Resigning to his fate, Laxus moved forward to help the woman up, but she swatted his hand away. "Don't touch me!"

Laxus sighed, "Look we both don't want to do this, but you don't exactly have a choice now. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not. Hurting me is only going to hurt yourself. Now, your wounds need to be taken care of." Not giving her a chance to reply, he quickly picked up the injured dragon and threw her body over his shoulder.

"Wh…what are you doing…let me go you baka dragon slayer! " Her mind must have been exhausted if that was the only comeback she could come up with. She made the mistake of pounding her hands onto his back to try to get him to let her go. The pain that pulsed from the mark effectively knocked her unconscious.

Laxus let out a sigh of relief before feeling slightly guilty that he did so. At least she'll be easier to handle now. He readjusted the now limp body on his shoulder and turned around to leave, wincing slightly from his wounds. He'd need to get Wendy to look at those later. When he reached the doors of the guild he turned his head around.

"Oi Gramps. I really hope you know what you are doing…" He then turned around and began to walk back to his home, the rest of the guild watching as he left.

Glancing over at the woman over his shoulder, he whispered under his breath, "What the hell am I going to do with you…"

* * *

" _What do I do after Laxus brings her back?"_

" _Protect her. She belongs here in the guild, with us. She has led a long life of darkness and has only recently found peace, b-but I let her down. I cannot let her walk down that path again._ He _will be looking for her soon. I'm afraid that he was the one who weakened the spell I've originally placed on her that has kept her in slumber for the past eighty years. That is why we need to get her now. He will go back for her soon and we cannot let him have her again."_

" _First Master, who are you talking about?"_

" _Zeref."_

Zeref. If Zeref got his hands on a dragon the world would certainly come to an end. Makarov will not let that happen.


	4. Arc I-4: Stay close

**Taming a Dragon**

 **Chapter 4**

Her eyes fluttered open as she slowly came to. Her vision came into focus as she tried to identify where she was. At first all she saw was a white ceiling, then navy blue walls and-

She let out a groan when she tried to move. Her entire body was balancing on the border of pain and soreness. Her muscles ached immensely as she tried to turn onto her side, but she found that she didn't have the strength move a single muscle below her neck. Slowly her memories floated to the surface of her mind. Arriving at the guild…taking the petite woman hostage…fighting the dragon slayer…

The dragon slayer!

She instinctively tried to sit up at the thought of that man, but completely failed as the pain kept her immobilized on what she noticed was a bed. Another groan had escaped her lips at that attempt to move. Realizing she was stuck here, she wondered where exactly _here_ was. Using whatever mobility she had, her head tilted down and she saw that she was sleeping on a fairly large bed, with black silk sheets that were surprisingly quite comfortable. She was thrown out of her thoughts when she heard a low baritone voice coming from the other end of the room.

"I see you've finally decided to wake up."

She turned her head towards the voice and after seeing who it belonged to she immediately let out a snarl as she glared daggers at the man. The dragon slayer…if she had her strength right now she would get up and fight him again, but the memory of that pain resurfaced.

When Laxus had walked into his bedroom after hearing her groan, he didn't know what to expect. This woman, or dragon was unpredictable…and downright crazy. He was completely shocked yesterday when she kept on fighting him despite the fact that it was causing her so much pain. He didn't know what he was thinking when he brought her back to his place after his grandfather gave him the orders. He could very well have left her in the infirmary. It was too late for that now. Now he had a furious bed-ridden dragon who was snarling at him and sending him looks that could kill. He inwardly sighed. He should probably check on the state of her wounds.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. Silence. Instead, her eyes narrowed even more. Taking a couple steps towards the bed he only hesitated slightly as he heard the low sound of a growl coming from the female. "I had Wendy come take a look at you yesterday and she should have healed most of your wounds. But judging from the way you haven't jumped up to kill me yet, it seems as if you are still in a little bit of trouble." Laxus suddenly had the thought to test her limits. Walking up to his bed, ignoring the growls that got increasing louder, he leaned forward until he was just out of her reach. Seeing her flinch in pain as she attempted to move, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Seems like the mighty dragon can't move. How unfortunate." Her eyes were blazing with anger. Seeing this as a chance to interrogate the woman as his Gramps hasn't said a word to him since the day before, Laxus grabbed a chair and sat down next to his bed. He decided to start off easy.

"What's your name?" he asked. After sending another glare his way, she immediately turned her head away from his direction to stare at the wall next to his bed. _Hn, as if I'd gift you my name._

So much for an easy question. "Well if you won't give me your name, I guess it's going to be Rairyuu for now. Courtesy of Natsu by the way. Or Ryuu. You seem to have earned quite a couple of names."

 _Natsu…that was the fire dragon slayer. Why does this guild have so many dragon slayers?!_

Another growl. "Not much love for dragon slayers huh," he mused. "Why is that anyway?" Still no response. _Maybe it's because the dragon slayer before me is the one who got me into this entire mess._

"Can't even talk? Dragon got your tongue?" he teased.

"…" _Are all humans this annoying?_

Laxus leaned into the ear that was facing him.

"Is it because of me?" he whispered into her ear. Immediately she stiffened and Laxus managed to pull back right before her head turned back around, sharp teeth out to bite him. When she failed, she snarled after seeing his triumphant smirk before turning her head back towards the wall. _What is he trying to pull?!_

Laxus was slightly amused at the dragon's reactions to his questions. He wondered how many more he could get in before she snapped and decided to finally talk.

"You smell like a dragon, but your body looks human. Why is that?"

"…" _Because I went to sleep in my human form and now this cursed mark of yours forces me to stay like this._

"Why did you run away that day?"

"…" _Because I was an idiot. I should've come back and crushed you with a rock._

"How the hell did you manage to knock me out?" Still no response, but he swore he could sense a smile. _Never underestimate a cornered dragon._

"Why were you on the island in the first place?"

"…" _That's none of your business._

"Why didn't you wake up when I first arrived?"

"…" _Also none of your business._ She was starting to get annoyed at his interrogation.

"Why did you go to the guild?" _Grr…._

"…to _kill_ you." _Shit. I wasn't supposed to say that out loud._

Laxus chuckled. Finally. A response. Her voice was hoarse. Seeing as she was already in enough pain from her wounds, Laxus walked into his kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. Coming back into the room he noticed her staring at him as he held out the glass to her lips.

"Drink." The dragon huffed and turned her head away.

"Look Sunshine, we both know that you can't kill me." That definitely earned him another glare. "And we don't have a choice in our current arrangements, so the least we can do is to not act hostile around one another."

She stared at him for another minute before she finally parted her lips. Treating this as a win, Laxus couldn't hold back a smirk as he lifted the glass to her lips once again and gently poured the water down her throat. After making sure she swallowed and didn't cough it back up, he set the glass down on the nightstand next to his bed. To be honest, Laxus didn't know why he was being so nice to this beast of a dragon that literally tried to kill him the day before. He just told himself that if he didn't his grandfather would be on his ass within moments.

She parted her lips again. This time to speak. "You do…" her voice still cracked slightly, but it was better.

"What?" he asked confused.

"You do have a choice. You have the choice to let me go." She stared at him with sorrow in her eyes, hoping to gain some sympathy points. _If fighting you isn't going to work at the moment, it's time to change methods._ She tried her best to gather tears in her eyes, but she had too much pride to show that much weakness in front of her enemy.

Sensing the sudden change in her mood and her poor attempt at guilt-tripping him, Laxus laughed, "Nice try Sunshine, but you're terrible at this. And sorry, but my Gramps isn't going to let either of us out of this." He knew he was right when she suddenly went hostile once more.

"Let me go dragon slayer or I find my own way to gut you alive!" she threatened.

Laxus had his arms crossed while he looked at her from his seat next to his bed. Only her head was sticking out from under his sheets with her teeth bared and a growl emanating from her chest. Her attempt at being threatening was entirely lost on him when he realized how ironic it looked.

"You're not very menacing when you're lying immobile in my bed covered in bandages," he said calmly, pulling his sheets down to reveal to her the bandages wrapped all around her body. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw the extent of the damage she had inadvertently done to herself when she fought the dragon slayer.

Laxus leaned forward from his seat, his stormy blue eyes locking onto hers, daring her to look away. His voice dropped an octave as he growled out his next words in an attempt to end her current stubbornness. "In fact, it should be me you're afraid of. Like it or not, you belong to me now. We can either learn to live civilly, or you can try to attack me again. But we both know how that's going to end."

Neither of them acknowledged the slight shiver that went up her back as he said those words. The dragoness contemplated his words as her chest heaved from the heavy breaths she was taking. It would've been quite a show for the dragon slayer if she hadn't been covered in bandages.

Finally she let out a sigh. "Fine," she said begrudgingly before turning her head back towards the wall.

Laxus smirked. "Good. Now sleep. I'll have Wendy come by to check up on you. You should be fine by morning," the dragon slayer demanded before turning to walk back out of the room in search of some well needed alcohol to celebrate his first victory against the dragoness.

Her head rested against the pillow as she turned back and stared up at the ceiling. The dragon slayer must be pretty naïve if he thought she would give up so easily. She'll play nice. For now. Just until she finds another way to end his life.

…He didn't believe her for a second. But right now he'll take what he can get.

* * *

Makarov was happily sitting on the bar in the guild while Mirajane was washing a couple of glasses behind him. The guild had been quiet, but not too quiet. Fights were kept to a minimum between Natsu and Gray and Natsu had even kept his fight challenges to a minimum since Laxus hasn't been in. Speaking of Laxus, he hadn't seen his grandson in over a week. Wendy had informed him that the dragoness was fully healed by the third morning since her arrival. Makarov had purchased some furniture and had it delivered to his grandson's home just a couple days prior, knowing that the dragon slayer's spare bedroom was absolutely bare. Being unrealistically optimistic, the sixth Master assured himself that his grandson and his new dragon were settling in just fine…

Suddenly the guild quieted down as Laxus walked in. One look at the scowl on his face and Makarov could tell that he was in a bad mood. Right behind him was a large dark cloud of negative energy. Taking a second look he recognized the blonde bombshell that stormed into his guild just last week. The dark cloud seemed to be comically emanating from her as she too sported a large snarl as she reluctantly walked into the guild.

"Laxus!" shouted the Raijinshuu as they instantly rushed over to their leader. The Master had prevented them from visiting Laxus until he had returned to the guild. They crowded anxiously over their leader, each of them sending a dark glare over to the dragoness as they tried to herd their leader away from the female.

"Rairyuu! Fight me!" shouted Natsu as he stood up from the table he was sitting at with the rest of Team Natsu and charged towards the dragoness. He was immediately defeated with a quick lightning infused punch to the head, effectively sending him to the floor.

As he was being herded away, Laxus put up his hand to stop the Raijinshuu. "Wait." He made his way over to the Master. "Gramps we need to talk. Now."

"Very well my boy," the Master said as he walked with his grandson to his office, leaving the dragoness to the mercy of the guild.

She huffed in frustration before sitting at an empty table, her angry dark aura still hovering overhead. She was pretty reluctant on going back to the guild, but was practically dragged there by the dragon slayer. Hmph. 'Stay close and don't cause any trouble' he had said when they were about to enter the guild, and yet he left her that as soon as they walked in. Not that she minded. Almost immediately after he had left with the old man, she found herself being surrounded by the three humans who were hounding over the lightning dragon slayer moments before. She sighed as they opted to sit down at her table and glare at her as they waited for the dragon slayer to reemerge from the Master's office. Once again placing her elbow on the table and letting her head rest on the palm of her open hand, she waited.

* * *

Makarov took a seat in his chair while Laxus leaned against the door to his office as soon as it was closed.

"Now what is it you wanted to talk about my boy?" asked Makarov, watching his grandson intently.

"Don't play dumb with me Gramps, you know what I'm here for," Laxus growled. "That." He said as he pointed towards the door. "Cannot stay at my place any longer."

"What is wrong Laxus? Haven't you two settled in nicely?" Makarov asked innocently, gracing his grandson with a smile.

"Settled in?! That beast has been trying to kill me non-stop ever since she had the strength to move around the house!" Laxus shouted. Outside in the guild hall a certain dragoness smirked as she listened in on the conversation.

"Now that's nonsense Laxus, we all know now that she cannot hurt you without hurting herself," the sixth Master reasoned.

"Tell that to her! I've been avoiding "accidents" this entire week." Laxus retorted. The dragoness tried hard not to snicker as the dragon slayer reiterated all the incidents that occurred in his home for the past couple of days. She had been testing the limits of the mark to see what she could do to the dragon slayer without causing harm to herself.

"One day it's falling bookshelves-" _It's not like you had any books in them in the first place._

"-then its cutlery that accidently flew out of cupboards and into my arm." _That one had hurt. Guess the mark treats forks as weapons._

"I almost drowned after being knocked out in the bathtub." _No pain no gain. Besides…_

Makarov laughed, "Laxus, what grown man takes baths…" _Exactly. Old man, you took the words right out of my mind._

"Shut up Gramps. I'm not done," Laxus grumbled. He had regretted mentioning that one as soon as the words left his lips.

"My couch has fallen from the second floor banister-" _Couches. Surprisingly not a weapon._

"-my stove has been set on fire-" The dragoness flushed ever so slightly at that one, but it had gone undetected by anyone around her. _That one was actually an accident._

"-and just last night I was tripped down the stairs!" Laxus shouted.

* * *

The Raijinshuu stared suspiciously at the dragoness as she barked a laugh out of nowhere. _Ah the great dragon slayer tripping over a wire. I thought he had better instincts than that. How pathetic._ The dragoness was so concentrated on the conversation occurring inside the old man's office that she didn't notice the darkening expressions of the other three at her table.

Freed unable to hold in his frustrations and curiosity anymore stood up and placed his palms on the table as he leaned forward to interrogate the dragoness sitting in front of him. "What have you done to Laxus?!" he asked with a dark tone. Evergreen and Bickslow who had been waiting for someone to break the ice also joined in.

"Laxus walked in looking as if he hadn't slept in days! What did you do to our great Laxus?" Evergreen cried. Her great leader who normally looked like a god had walked in with dark circles under his eyes the size of a pandas.

"Ya. He looked like a fucking zombie," Bickslow added. His wooden dolls circled around his head shouting, "Zombie! Zombie!"

The dragoness flicked an eye in their direction. "Why don't you ask your _great_ leader himself?" she said mockingly. "Don't bother me with all your questions."

Freed fumed, "Why you-!"

Suddenly a blunette stood between the Raijinshuu and the dragoness. "Ahh…um…Freed, Evergreen, Bickslow. Let's not start another fight okay?" said Levy. The petite woman had jumped up from where she was sitting and rushed over as soon as she sensed the tension over at their table. Levy instinctively grabbed the dragoness' wrist in an attempt to get her to stand up. "Ryuu-san, why don't you come sit with us?" The dragoness stared intensely at her hand and for a moment Levy regretted acting so impulsively, but then the dragoness stood up and let Levy pull her towards her own table with Team Natsu. Freed opened his mouth to protest, but upon sensing a dark aura coming from behind the bar he obediently sat back down.

Levy gestured for the dragoness to sit which she surprisingly did so without any resistance. She then proceeded to sit down herself, but squeaked when the dragoness once again pulled her into her lap, holding onto her like a doll. Somehow Levy thought she felt Gajeel's gaze from two tables down where he was sitting with Pantherlily.

"I don't need your help," the dragoness stated as she scanned over the faces at her new table. She remembered all of them from when she first arrived a week ago.

"A-actually it's more for the guild. We'd rather not clean it all up again," Lucy said sheepishly from across the table. "I'm Lucy by the way!"

"Gray Fullbuster. And ya, the old man made us re-build everything that was broken," Gray groaned. "It took us all week. We just finished yesterday."

"It should've been finished faster. I could've spearheaded the construction," Erza stated. "It would have taken only one day. And I'm Erza Scarlet."

Gray paled as he imagined Erza leading the construction work in her worker's uniform again. The first time after the Phantom Lord incident had not been fun.

"Anyways! We want to apologize for how we acted last week," Lucy said.

The dragoness was confused, "Why would you apologize?"

"Because we are nakama now! And nakama don't hurt one another. Unless it's a fight of course!" Natsu grinned. He had recovered from when she had knocked him out previously. "And I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragneel!"

"Aie! And I'm Happy!" the blue cat announced with his hands on his hips and wings spread out to show off. None of them had asked the dragoness for her name, knowing what the answer would be after Levy told them of her answer when she asked previously.

The dragoness's head tilted slightly in wonder as she stared at the blue haired flying cat. "Neko?" She's never seen one of these before. At least not ones that could fly. And she's been alive for four hundred years. She quickly reached forward and grasped the blue cat in her hands, placing him on top of Levy's head before sniffing him.

"Ahh! Natsuuuu. She's going to eat me!" Happy shouted as he tried to wiggle away.

"Don't be silly Happy. She's our nakama now. She's not going to eat you!" Natsu laughed.

She stared at the humans before letting go of the cat. "I'm not your nakama," the dragoness stated. "I have no need for those."

"Of course you need nakama!" exclaimed Levy looking up at her with wide eyes. "We may not seem like friends to you right now, but you see it eventually! You're already our friend!" The blunette smiled towards the dragoness.

"Why would you want to be friends with someone who tried to hurt you" the dragoness asked. She did not understand these humans at all. Did they forget what she had done just last week? Do humans have short memory? She had forgotten how humans functioned. She hadn't had human contact for over 80 years before this.

A soft voice interjected, "No you didn't. We were the ones who attacked you. Even Elfman said he was barely hurt when he was thrown into the wall. You were only trying defend yourself." Mira had come up to the table, setting drinks down onto the table. "I'm Mirajane. That one over there is my brother Elfman. He would apologize himself, but he doesn't think that would be very Man."

"You humans are bewildering…I'm here to kill your guild-mate," the dragoness snarled. All this apologizing was starting to get on her nerves. She definitely doesn't deserve them.

"Ah…you mean Laxus. Well it turns out that you can't hurt him without hurting yourself right? And besides, Laxus isn't really that bad of a guy once you get to know him. He has changed from the way he was before. You should give him a chance," Mira said with a smile.

The dragoness was getting irritated, "You want me to give the man who imprisoned me a chance?!"

"Ah we don't really get that part either, but you're his dragon now! Ugh I'm so jealous, why can't I have my own dragon…" Natsu pouted.

She growled as that hit a nerve, "I belong to no one." Electricity started to gather around her as her anger grew. Two tables down, Lily hid behind Gajeel in fear. Gajeel's eyes narrowed further as his focus was on the blue-haired woman still sitting in the dragoness' lap directly in the zone of the lightning.

"Ahh! No one belongs to anyone here okay!" Levy quickly shouted, waving her hands and glaring at Natsu for being so clueless. "You know what! I think you need a break from Laxus. How about you go on a job with us?" she suggested.

The electricity calmed down slightly, "A job?"

"Hai! What a great idea Levy!" Lucy exclaimed. "When people need mages to help them out, they send out job requests and it gets posted to the guilds around the area. We mages can then choose to take the request in turn for rewards! Like jewels for example…" Lucy inwardly drooled at the thought of more jewels…she was running low on rent money for this month.

"Yosh! Let's do it! I'll go find a job now for all of us!" Natsu shouted as he jumped off his seat and rushed to the request board. Happy followed close behind him. "Maybe one will have fish for a reward!"

* * *

Makarov struggled not to laugh while imagining all the perils his grandson had to endure over the past week.

"It seems as if your guest has been keeping you on your toes," he said amused.

Laxus snarled, "I would prefer NOT to have to be on my toes in my own home. I'm this close to strangling the beast myself"

"Laxus. You know you cannot do that. She is our nakama now. Treat her as such," Makarov warned. "Maybe the two of you just need some fresh air. I was going to suggest this when you arrived at the guild. Why not take her on a job with you?"

"Did you want your grandson to die," Laxus deadpanned. Going out into the world with the dragon was just begging for more "accidents" to happen.

"Nonsense my boy. You're a dragon slayer! And out there is a dragon. I'm positive you can handle it," the Master smiled. "Now enough excuses! Go! I have paperwork to do!"

Laxus grumbled as he was shooed out of the Master's office. Heading back out into the guild hall, he reluctantly looked for the dragoness…before noticing she wasn't there. Instantly his mood darkened.

"Where is she…" he asked the Raijinshuu as he headed over to their table. Last he checked she was sitting with them when he walked into his grandfather's office.

"Ah…the dragon? She just left with Cosplayer and the rest of them on a job just now," Bickslow said his tongue hanging out from his mouth. His babies chimed in, "Cosplayer! Cosplayer!"

"Good riddance I'd say," Freed muttered. As if he'd let that monster anywhere near his precious Laxus-sama.

"Ya Laxus you've got the Raijinshuu! You don't need a little dragon like her!" Evergreen pouted. She's the only woman that deserves to be next to Laxus as his bodyguard.

Laxus felt a headache about rise up. Gramps was going to kill him for letting her run off like that. Even if it was with Natsu's team. Actually. ESPECIALLY if it was with Natsu's team.

"I'm going after them," he said as he started towards the doors of the guild.

"Laxus wait!" Evergreen shouted. "We haven't seen you in a week and you're just going to go off again?"

"Ya besides, they're probably long gone by now" Bickslow joked. That was a lie. They were probably still in town. But he admitted to himself that he slightly missed Laxus as well and didn't want him to leave so soon after just coming home.

"Laxus just wait here with us until she comes back," Freed reasoned with him. "You don't even know where they are going."

Laxus was starting to get tired of his team's whining. "Alright, alright. I'll stay." The Raijinshuu cheered as they made him sit down and started to cater to his every need. For some reason he had a bad feeling about letting the dragoness go off like that…

* * *

"Ahh it's so great not to have to get on a train for a job!" Natsu said happily with his arms folded behind his head as he walked. The rest of the group grumbled as they trailed behind him.

"Natsu that's only because you were the one who chose the job," Lucy complained. "And you just happened to choose one in a town that didn't have a train connected to it."

"Well it's not my fault that there weren't very many good jobs," Natsu said. "Right Happy?"

"Aie Sir! This one was the best one we could find! For 500,000J! Although there aren't any fish in the reward…" Happy deflated slightly as he sat on top of Natsu's head.

"By the way Natsu, what is this job for?" Levy asked from the back of the pack. She was actually quite excited to go on this job. It wasn't very often that she went out on jobs with Team Natsu and it was definitely the first time she's ever gone on a job with a dragon. Glancing to her right, she looked up at the dragoness which had remained practically emotionless throughout their entire trek.

"A job with fighting in it!" Natsu exclaimed happily. "The town is being troubled by some lizardmen that have made a nest in the nearby forest!"

"Natsu…Can't we ever take on a job without fighting in it…" Lucy whined.

Wendy had trailed in the back and was walking nervously next to the dragoness. She hadn't said a word to her in the guild. Mostly because she was a little intimidated by the powerful dragon. She took a deep breath hoping that would raise her courage as she decided to speak.

"A-ano…Ryuu onee-san. How are feeling?" she stuttered nervously. The dragoness had been in so much pain both times she had gone over to Laxus-nii's house to heal her.

The dragoness looked down at the sky dragon slayer, "I'm fine." Wendy flinched at her sharp tone, but she then caught these strange sounds similar to growls coming from the dragon. Wendy's eyes widened when she recognized the language. Grandeeney had taught her parts of the dragon language as she was growing up. _Thank you._ Wendy broke out into a huge smile.

"You're welcome!" Wendy grinned. "Ah! By the way my name is Wendy! Wendy Marvell!"

Levy looked at the two a little confused, but let it go as she concentrated on the trail in front of them. They've been walking for hours now.

The dragoness didn't know why she had let the group convince her to come on the job with them. After the fire dragon slayer had come running back with a piece of paper in his hand, she had found herself being dragged off by the weird blue-haired girl and her friends. She was originally fine with getting some space away from the wretched dragon slayer, but she was starting to regret it. For some reason she had found it harder to concentrate the longer they walked. What had started off as a small discomfort she felt when they started to leave town had slowly grown into this large weight on her chest by the time they were a few hours into their hike. But she just shook it off as nothing.

Even though she wasn't as focused as she regularly was, she did notice something that had been following them ever since they left the guild. The dragoness turned her head to look down at the bluenette.

"Levy." The blunette instantly perked up as she heard her name being spoken by the dragoness for the first time.

"…Does your mate always follow you on your jobs?" the dragoness asked the woman. Levy looked up at her and tried to register what the dragoness had said. What did she mean by mate?…! Instantly, Levy blushed ten shades of red.

"I-I don't have a mate!" Levy shouted waving her hands in embarrassment. Lucy and Gray turned around, laughing as they also heard what the dragoness had said. "And regardless, no! He's not supposed to follow me on my jobs!" Levy quickly turned around to scan the forest behind her, but couldn't see the dark haired dragon slayer anywhere.

"Wait? Gajeel's here?!" Natsu exclaimed, instantly sniffing the air. "But I don't smell him anywhere?"

Lucy and Gray laughed even more when they noticed Natsu's instant connection despite none of them mentioning the iron dragon slayer's name. Even Erza was chuckling at the blunette's expense as she denied anything to do with Gajeel.

"While your senses may be similar, they will never match the strength of those of a real dragon," the dragoness stated.

Shit. Gajeel thought as he hid behind some trees while holding Lily to his chest. He had stayed far enough behind so that the flame-brain wouldn't smell him, but he had entirely forgotten about the dragon's enhanced senses. He didn't trust that dragon and how close it was to the blunette…forcing her to sit on its lap…setting her down on the bench and placing her head in its lap that first night…petting her head while she slept…what is it trying to accomplish by doing all that? He didn't understand the dragoness so he decided to follow them on their job. Lily very reluctantly followed along, feeling guilty for being useless that first day. Gajeel grumbled out loud as he revealed himself to the group after being caught.

"Ah Gajeel. So you were following us," Erza pointed out as he made his way to walk beside Levy.

Levy turned to look at him, her blush still very evident on her face, "W-Why are you here?" she stammered.

"No reason," Gajeel said stiffly as he turned his head away to look into the forest, clutching Lily closer to his chest.

"Can't. Breathe," Lily wheezed until Gajeel loosed up on his hold.

Happy decided to chime in on the fun, "He likessssss youuuuu"

Lucy and Gray snickered some more as they watched the pair blush.

Humans. _Were they always this…fascinating?_ She asked herself as she continued to follow the group, ignoring the growing pain she felt as they walked farther away from Magnolia and closer to their destination.

* * *

After six hours of walking, they had reached the remote town of Hayden. After a brief conversation with their mayor, they were directed towards another forest on the other side of the town. Apparently the lizardmen were hiding out somewhere inside. The group had quickly made their way inside the forest as Natsu had caught the scent of the herd.

The growing discomfort had escalated into intense pain emanating from the mark around her neck. The dragoness had taken two more steps before she collapsed onto her knees, her hand coming up to clench at her neck as she shook from the pain.

Levy was instantly by her side, "Ryuu-san! Are you okay? What's wrong?" The rest of the group stopped walking and quickly rushed over to the fallen dragoness.

Wendy ran over to her side as well. "Ryuu onee-san! Hold on, let me try to heal you!" Wendy placed her hands in front of the dragon as she called upon her healing magic. However, there seemed to be no change coming from the dragon. Instead, she had fallen forward with one hand attempting to support her body, while the other still clawing at her neck and chest. Her breathing was getting shallower with each passing second.

Suddenly, the forest was filled with sounds of hissing and growling.

"Shit!" exclaimed Gray, "The lizardmen must have heard the noises. We're surrounded."

Erza quickly surveyed the situation before laying down orders, "Levy. Wendy. Continue to watch over Ryuu. The rest of us create a circle and protect the ones inside." The rest of the group settled in formation as the readied themselves for the attack. Levy and Wendy continued to tend over the dragoness in worry as her condition did not change.

Within moments, the lizardmen sprang out from behind the bushes from all sides. Natsu led the first attack, sending a flaming fist into one of the lizardmen that charged at him, blowing him straight into a tree. Gray had frozen another two, while Erza took down a couple more with her Heaven's Wheel. Even Pantherlily had transformed and struck a couple down.

They kept on coming.

Lucy had summoned Taurus, who marvelled at her nice body before sending his axe straight through another two lizardmen. Gajeel had sent an iron club through another four. They had taken down so many, but the waves never seemed to end.

Suddenly one of the lizardmen broke through their ranks and headed straight for the women inside the circle. Gajeel turned around and was about to help, but another lizardman had jumped and bitten down on his arm.

"Shit," Gajeel cursed as he tried to fight him off, "Shrimp! Watch out!"

Levy's eyes widened as she saw the lizardman running towards them. Thinking on her feet, she sent out a spell of her own, "Solid Script: Iron!" Instantly a block of iron appeared over the lizardman's head, effectively crushing it under the word's weight. Gajeel turned around to look after punching his own lizardman out of the way. "Gihi. Thanks for the snack Shrimp."

Levy didn't have time to acknowledge that as three more lizardmen broke through and ran towards them. She took down another one with her Solid Script: Fire and Wendy managed to take down one with a Sky Dragon's Roar, but there was still one left and it was too close for them to react. The two girls recoiled as the lizardman leapt towards them…before getting blasted back by a bolt of lightning.

The two girls looked towards the dragoness, who seemed to have her breathing back in control. She struggled as she stood on her feet.

"Ryuu onee-san! You shouldn't be getting up!" Wendy shouted. Suddenly she felt herself being enveloped in lightning and when she glanced over at Levy she looked like she was being covered with a lightning wing?

"As if I'd be pathetic enough to let humans protect me," the dragoness panted as she extended her wings to protect the two girls next to her. Her tail and emerged as well. Any of the lizardmen who were stupid enough to touch those appendages would be instantly electrocuted. She closed her eyes and pushed aside the pain as she scented the air. _Twenty more._ Her eyes shot open as she sent a lightning bolt in Gray's direction, just as a lizardman was about to attack him from behind.

Gray turned around in shock when he heard its screams. "Thanks," he exhaled when he realized the dragoness had just saved his life.

The dragoness winced as a lizardman managed to bite into her arm before she electrocuted it just as another one came up from the side to slash at her side. Lifting her other arm to block, she let out a cry from the pain as she missed at the lizardman's blade cut through her side. How could she be this weak? What is happening to her?! Reacting in blind anger she sent out lightning bolts from her hands in quick fashion towards any lizardmen left in the area, effectively ending the fight right then. The air sizzled as the last lizardman was blasted out of the field by her lightning. The rest of the group turned around in shock before resting on the ground to recuperate.

Sensing no more threats in the area, the dragoness quickly succumbed to the pain once again as the adrenaline left her. Her wings and tail immediately dissipated as she collapsed to the ground. Clenching her neck, she tried to claw at it to stop the waves of searing pain it was sending through her body. Wendy rushed over to heal her wounds, but even those weren't healing.

Levy, noticing the dragoness clawing at her mark once more, suddenly remembered what she had read a couple of nights before. She had been curious about the mark after hearing about it from the Master and had searched through her archive of books before coming across one that had a little information on it. The Master hadn't been the most truthful about the true purpose of the mark. The mark…was meant to be a slave's mark. It binds the dragon to its owner like a collar of servitude. Like the Master said, it significantly limits the dragon's powers in order to protect the slaver, but that's not all. It's also supposed to prevent the dragon from running away. When a dragon travelled too far from its owner it causes it pain. The farther apart the dragon is from its owner, the more pain the mark causes as punishment for disobeying orders.

Realizing what was happening to the dragoness, Levy quickly rushed over to her side. "Oh my god Ryuu-san. This is all my fault, "she whispered, before shouting out to Natsu, who seemed to be the one with the most energy left. "I've figured out what is wrong. Natsu! You need to take Ryuu-san back to Laxus now! The mark! It's from a slave's binding spell! It's punishing her for being too far away from him! That's why Wendy's healing isn't working. Laxus must have said something to her this morning!"

Natsu wasn't quite sure what was happening, but quickly hurried to their side after hearing the desperation in Levy's voice. "Alright Levy, but what about you guys?"

"Don't worry about us Natsu-san, just take Ryuu onee-san back. I'll be following behind you guys as fast as I can," Wendy said.

"I'll go with Wendy to make sure she's safe," Lucy added.

"The rest of us will say here and make sure the area's clear and report back to the mayor," Erza stated. "Now Natsu, hurry and go."

"Y-Yes Erza!" Natsu shouted. He quickly lifted the dragoness onto his back. "Happy let's go!"

"Aie Sir!"

* * *

Natsu had never run for so long before. It had taken him three hours to reach Magnolia. Once they reached the edge of the town, the dragon's breathing had finally calmed down. She had passed out an hour into their return. Natsu was scared when she had broken out into a cold sweat from the fever she had. She had been so warm even he could sense it. He couldn't believe that the mighty dragon who had taken him down in one hit was reduced to this. While she seemed less in pain the closer they got to the guild, she still wasn't looking very well. Her long golden hair was now soaked in sweat and matted to her body, her arms were barely holding onto him around his neck and her body was slightly shaking. Rushing into the forest next to Magnolia and straight towards the guild, Natsu hoped that Laxus would be there as he kicked open the doors to the building.

* * *

Laxus had been bored out of his mind. For most of the day, the Raijinshuu had bombarded him with questions regarding the dragon that he was now housing in his home. After three hours of questioning he had blocked out their voices using his Sound Pods. But that didn't stop them from bringing him drinks and giving him massages for the rest of the day. It was now early evening and he was starting to wonder what was taking Team Natsu so long when suddenly the doors to the guild burst open and Natsu rushed in drenched in sweat and carrying something on his back.

"Where is Laxus!" Natsu shouted out of breath as he frantically looked around the guild for the lightning dragon slayer.

"What do you want Natsu," Laxus questioned and upon noticing Natsu's exhaustion he couldn't help but ask, "Where is th-" Suddenly his eyes noticed the figure slumped over the fire dragon slayer's back just as his nose picked up the familiar scent of a lightning strike.

"What happened to her," Laxus growled taking note of her current state. Gramps was going to kill him if something happened to the dragon.

Natsu growled darkly at him. "Why don't you ask yourself? Apparently this is all your fault!"

Laxus snarled, "What are you talking about Natsu?"

Mira quickly jumped in-between the two after noticing what was happening. "We'll worry about who's at fault later, we need to get her to the infirmary first!"

"Hand her to me. I'll take her there," Laxus demanded.

Natsu growled even louder and held onto the dragon even tighter. "No. I'LL take her to the infirmary. But you better be following closely!" He had noticed that her shaking had stopped as soon as they were in close proximity to the lightning dragon slayer. Natsu quickly followed Mira to the back rooms of the guild and set the dragoness down on one of the beds as soon as he entered the infirmary. Laxus followed quickly behind and pulled Natsu aside as soon as he set her down.

"Explain. Now." Laxus demanded as soon as Mira left to go get supplies.

Natsu wrenched his arm away in anger and explained to Laxus what had happened in the forest and what he could remember from what Levy had said to him. He watched as Laxus's eyes widened in shock. Natsu was confused. He didn't know?

Laxus was fuming in anger after Natsu explained to him what happened. A slave?! That wasn't what he asked for. What the hell is his Gramps doing? Glancing over at the dragoness on the infirmary bed, he couldn't help but wince as he noted all the wounds she had sustained. She had a large bite wound on her right arm and her left arm was bruised heavily. Her top was slashed open on the left side revealing a gash that was still bleeding through the bandages. She was deathly pale. She looked worse than when she inflicted wounds upon herself after she battled him the week before. _Stay close._ He didn't know those two words he had mentioned in passing when they were in front of the guild this morning would cause all of this. Even if she was trying to kill him she didn't deserve this. Walking over to the bed, he gently brushed aside a lock of her hair that was sticking to her forehead. He let out a sigh as he dragged over a chair and sat down.

Natsu's anger dissipated as he watched Laxus with the dragoness. Walking out of the infirmary with Happy he waited outside in the guild hall for Wendy to come back.

Wendy and Lucy arrived two hours later and immediately rushed to the infirmary. Wendy performed her healing magic on the dragoness and thankfully this time it had worked. Her wounds from the fight had healed perfectly and her fever had gone down. They had changed her clothes after Wendy had healed her and now she slept in a simple nightgown underneath the covers on the bed. She told Laxus and the rest of the group when they arrived later that evening that she wouldn't wake up for a bit. After the group had made sure that the dragoness was okay, they slowly left the infirmary, but not without each of them shooting Laxus a glare.

"Guys leave him alone," Natsu said. "He didn't know." The group looked at Natsu in shock at his maturity before nodding and heading out of the infirmary.

* * *

Laxus had been alone in the infirmary with the dragoness for a couple of hours after Team Natsu plus Levy and Gajeel had left. He had been watching her as she slept. She looked almost peaceful as she lay there, her soft breathing being her only movement. Laxus was about to drift into sleep when he suddenly heard a groan coming from the bed. He looked over at the dragoness as she came to, her eyes slowly opening to reveal her gold cat-like eyes. He watched carefully as they slowly focused on him. She sent him a glare.

"Guess you can't even run away, huh Sunshine?" Laxus gently teased, glad that she was well enough to be angry.

She groaned as she lifted one of her arms to cover her face in frustration, the other still under the sheets with its hand gripped tightly into a fist.

"I'm going to kill you," she muttered softly as her eyes drifted closed once more.

"…You can try."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews so far! It's almost exam time so I probably won't be able to get another chapter in for another two weeks. Hope you're liking the story so far! Stay tuned!**

 **A/N: Made a very small change to this chapter thanks to naes151 for pointing out a** **discrepancy for why she didn't get hurt when she left Laxus on Tenrou Island in the very beginning. Very appreciated! I didn't want to change the chapter entirely so I've made a slight change so that the mark responded to the verbal command of Laxus telling her to stay close. Since he never had the chance on Tenrou Island to tell her to stay (since he was immediately knocked out) it should make more sense now why she wasn't affected when she left him on the island. I'm not going to invoke an entire obedience thing to the mark, just enough to deal with the distance between the two.**


	5. Arc I-5: Slave

**Chapter 5**

One of her eyes had immediately cracked open when Laxus opened the door to his spare room that morning seemingly monitoring her 'intruder'.

"Yo Sunshine. Get up. We're going on a job." Laxus announced as the door was swinging open, taking in the scene in front of him. It's been a week since the dragoness had settled into his spare bedroom and even now he couldn't get used to the way she slept. She was currently on her stomach with half her face resting on her pillow and the other half facing him. One of her arms were dangling off the bed. Her long golden hair was an utter mess that couldn't decide which direction it wanted to settle in. The rest of her body was so tangled up in her navy blue sheets that he couldn't tell where her body ended and the sheets began. This morning, those sheets just so happened to rest lower than normal, slightly revealing her breasts which were pressed into the mattress. Which reminded him…

The dragoness slept naked.

Her one open eye seemed to lazily follow his movements into her room and it seemed like her brain was taking its sweet time to register what he had just said.

"Is that an _order_?" she sarcastically slurred. Laxus flinched. Ever since that incident a couple of days ago, he had avoided using any words that would trigger the mark.

"No. It's not. I thought I told you I wouldn't be doing that." Laxus stated firmly.

Her eye swept over him warily, before closing.

"Well in that case…no," she mumbled before turning her head back into the pillow.

Laxus rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he stood next to the bed. "Well if you want to play like that, I can always just dump you off at the guild and have them watch you. But you'll be there ALL day." Laxus held back a chuckle when he saw her stiffen within the sheets.

The dragoness didn't want to go back to the guild. It was too overwhelming. When she woke up the morning after the incident a couple days ago there were so many humans crowding around her. The petite blue one wouldn't stop apologizing, but she didn't understand what for. The tiny dragon slayer kept hovering over her to try and heal wounds that were no longer there. The red-haired one even tried to crush her head into her chest. Before she could've retaliated, the mage immediately bounded backwards and apologized profusely. Again with the apologies. Are all humans like that? She had noticed the pink-haired dragon slayer standing behind all of them and to her own surprise she thanked him in her native language. Her brain must have still be hazy from everything that has happened. The mage simply gave her a large grin and a 'No worries!' After they finished fussing over her they escorted her into the guild hall and from there it was chaos…

Laxus had gotten quite a scolding that day from none other than the blue-haired Solid Script mage. Levy had enlightened him on the powers of the mark and made him promise to be careful with his words. He didn't need a reminder. The way the dragoness looked on the infirmary bed the night before that was motivation enough. However, it was quite amusing when she woke up that morning. The entire group that went on the mission was immediately crowding over the dragoness when she gained consciousness. He managed to sit comfortably on the sidelines in one of the infirmary chairs, watching the entire affair.

Levy wouldn't stop apologizing for making her go on that request, while Wendy kept trying to check her body for wounds. He couldn't help but laugh when Erza tried to give the dragoness one of her signature hugs. For a second there he thought the dragoness would fry her alive. Then she noticed Natsu. He didn't know why, but it annoyed him when she growled at him and he seemed to understand what she was saying. Was it a first generation dragon slayer thing? Anyways, once they realized she was perfectly fine, as expected from the healing powers of a dragon, they ushered her into the guild hall. All at once the guild bombarded her with questions and concerns over her health. He could tell she was getting more and more overwhelmed and irritated by the sudden increase in static charges hovering in the guild. He brought her back to his house before she could electrocute anyone. Since then she hasn't left the house. And through connection neither has he.

He was getting bored. He hasn't been on a job in weeks. It's not that he needed the money, hell one S-Class mission was enough to last him a year. But right now he was itching for a fight and Natsu wasn't exactly an opponent worth fighting. Besides, his Gramps was bothering him again to take her out for a job to let her 'get some fresh air' as he put it.

"Just leave me here," she muttered into her pillow, her hand waving lazily trying to dismiss him.

Laxus scoffed, "As if I'd leave you here alone in my house so you can set up traps."

Damn. That was exactly what she wanted to do.

She groaned into the pillow before turning back to face him in defeat, "Fine." Somehow she managed to get herself untangled from the sheets holding her hostage. She allowed them to slide down her body as she stood up and walked past him.

In all her naked glory.

Laxus watched as she walked out of her room and straight into his own across the hall. His house only had one shower and it just so happened to be conveniently placed inside the bathroom connected inside his bedroom. Ever since Blondie had informed the dragoness of the wonders of a shower, the dragoness had visited his every day when she woke up.

Yes. He had the pleasure of watching this show every day for the past week even without the need to walk into her room. Now, Laxus wasn't a saint. He was very much a hot-blooded male and he enjoyed every moment of it. It didn't help that she had the most strikingly beautiful body known to man with no sense of modesty. The only downside to this arrangement was the fact that she took _forever_ in there.

After waiting an hour for her to shower and reminding her to put clothes on, Laxus practically pushed the dragoness out the door. He had already picked this job out in advance, knowing her current resolve to not visit the guild. It was a simple job. Below his caliber to be honest, but given her nature to cause 'accidents' he'd rather not have something happening on an S-class job.

They had walked in silence, with the dragoness shooting him an occasional glare, until they reached the train station. Laxus groaned as he stared at the horrid contraption. He had promised himself he would walk for his next mission after all the transportation he took getting back from Tenrou Island, but this job was too far to walk.

Resigning to his fate, Laxus sighed before dragging himself and the dragoness onto the train and into an empty compartment, waiting for the train to start. Sitting across from the dragoness, he noticed that she was wearing a red lace up corset and tight black pants with combat boots today. Where did she even get those clothes from? He was sure his Gramps hadn't bought her any. Hell he would've burned them all even if he had. That old pervert….

He lost his train of thought when the train began to move. Once again the familiar wave of motion sickness travelled through him as his eyes closed shut and he forced himself to breathe. When he managed to get it under control his eyes opened only to come in contact with gold. The dragoness had leaned so far forward in her seat that her face was inches away from his own. Her face which currently held a wide smirk.

"Is something the matter, oh _great_ dragon slayer," she mocked him, taking in his obviously troubled state.

This time it was Laxus' turn to send a glare in her direction, which didn't last long as the train hit a bump, forcing his eyes closed. He bit back the groan that threatened to surface. Her smirk only grew.

"How is it that you are fine…" he groaned, "Aren't you a dragon? Shouldn't you technically have it worse than dragon slayers?"

The dragoness scoffed at him, "As if we'd be troubled by something as trivial as transportation. Dragon slayers share this trait due to the reaction between their human bodies and the dragon slaying magic. Call it a side effect if you will. Dragons wouldn't have this problem, since we are _pure_." What she didn't mention to the dragon slayer was the fact that she hated being on this death trap as well. Being enclosed in such a small space made her feel slightly cleithrophobic and sent a shiver up her spine.

"How long was this train ride again?" she asked sweetly. Laxus knew that she was mocking him beneath that innocent smile.

"Three hours," he said through gritted teeth. He put on his Sound Pods, closed his eyes and decided to drown out whatever else she decided to say.

She huffed in annoyance after realizing the dragon slayer was going to ignore her for the rest of the trip. Leaning back into her seat, she placed an elbow on the window sill and rested her chin on her hand, staring out the window for the rest of the train ride. She tried not to picture the walls of the train closing in on her.

Laxus caught himself staring at the dragoness halfway through the trip. To be honest, he was starting to get used to her constant presence. She was so different from what he was used to. There were normally two types of people that he came across. Those that feared him due to his power and those that idolized him due to his name. She on the other hand was neither. She had no problems reminding _him_ of her immense power and he knew she didn't give a shit about what his name was. Heck he didn't even think she's used it once at all.

…She was like a breath of fresh air.

* * *

After the train dropped them off, the pair made their way to the mine on the edge of the town. According to its owner, some sort of beast has taken residence inside the mining tunnels, thus halting any further work. Their job was to take care of it. They checked in with the mine owner, who then led them to the entrance of the mine before leaving them to work.

"All the workers have been cleared out," the owner said. "You are free to do whatever it takes to get rid of that retched beast."

Laxus headed into the mine first, with the dragoness following suit. The tunnels were dark and damp and Laxus could smell a hint of blood in the air. He clenched his fists in anger. The beast must have attacked some of the miners that tried to come down here.

She scented the human blood in the air as soon as they stepped inside the tunnel. She too clenched her fists, but for an entirely different reason. The blood was making her hungry…but she had forgone human flesh for over two centuries now. She didn't have any plans to start again. Taking in a deep breath, she willed her sharpened canines to retreat.

They didn't have to venture for long before they heard the beast's roar echoing through the tunnel. Following the sounds, the pair came to an open area of the mine, with the beast situated right in the middle. The beast stood thirty feet tall within the mine with black scales and two large horns protruding out of its head. It had noticed them as soon as they walked into the opening and was now currently charging straight at them.

Laxus lifted his two arms to block a head on attack from the beast, the strength of its charge pushing him back two feet. He turned his head to look for th-

"Oi! Why the fuck are you just sitting there?" Laxus shouted to the dragoness as he pushed back against the beast. She had decided to find a convenient rock to sit her ass down on and was now watching him with her legs crossed.

"Huh? You said I had to come on this job with you. You never said I had to contribute," she said with a sly smirk as she lounged back with her hands resting against the rock. "Besides, can't the _great_ dragon slayer handle such a simple beast?" she asked mockingly. Now she just had to sit back and relax as the dragon slayer gets killed.

Laxus growled at her remark, turning his attention back towards the beast. Fine if she wanted to play that way, he'd show her the power of the lightning dragon slayer.

Almost immediately, the entire mine had filled with light. The beast roared as he was encompassed by a blast of lightning. Laxus turned around to watch the dragoness as the dust settled behind him. The look on her face was priceless.

The beast was dead. In one blow. With simple lightning magic. Her wide eyes quickly darted from the body of the beast over to the dragon slayer, who was now sporting a rather irritating smirk. She shook her head to rid herself of the shock and glared at the dragon slayer who was now making his way over to her. However, he only took two steps towards her, when suddenly the mine started to shake. The dragon slayer looked towards the ceiling just as large rocks fell on top of him. She quickly darted backwards into the tunnel and watched with a smile as the entire mine collapsed on itself with the dragon slayer still inside.

Staring at the rock wall that was once the opening to the center of the mine, she allowed herself two seconds of celebration.

"Whatever it takes…right?" she smiled to herself. Completely elated at the death the dragon slayer, she neither noticed the continued presence of the mark around her neck nor the presence looming behind her. She turned to exit the mine when she suddenly collided with something hard. Her eyes slowly registered the view of a human chest, before trailing slowly upwards. They traced over a dark tribal tattoo before travelling upwards to catch the smug look on the dragon slayer's face. Her gold eyes widened a fraction at her surprise of seeing the dragon slayer still alive before immediately springing backwards as if he'd electrocuted her, her eyes sweeping over his body. The dragon slayer was covered in dirt and dust, his shirt completely destroyed…but was otherwise entirely unscathed.

Her eyes snapped back up to his face. "H-How?"

The dragon slayer's hand shot forward and slammed into the wall next to her head, effectively trapping her between the rock wall and his body. She found herself unable to look away as she was trapped by the intensity of his gaze. His stormy blue eyes had darkened, but she couldn't decipher the meaning behind it. Anger? Amusement? Exhilaration?

He leaned forward, closing the distance between them. She stared back defiantly, refusing to flinch at the close contact. There was no movement aside from the rise and fall of her chest along with his heavy breathing. With each breath she took, her chest brushed ever so slightly against his. His head slowly dropped into the crook of her neck causing her breath to hitch.

"You're going to have to try harder than that Sunshine," he growled roughly into her ear, before stepping back and turning around to walk back to the entrance of the mine.

The dragoness stood there for another minute, shaking in anger and frustration. She had timed her attack on the walls perfectly with his lightning attack. How did he notice? How did he escape? She cried in frustration before stomping her way out of the mine.

* * *

Freed threw a fit when Laxus arrived back at his house shirtless and covered in dirt. He had been tidying up the dragon slayer's home when Laxus walked in with the she-devil in tow. When Freed asked him what had happened, Laxus simply waved his hand at him, telling him not to worry about it and grumbling about needing to take a shower. One look at the fuming dragoness and her pristine visage told Freed that she had something to do with it. He focused his angry gaze onto the dragoness.

"What did you do to Laxus?" he asked in a dark tone.

The dragoness directed an emotionless gaze towards him before turning to walk into her own room.

* * *

The entire building lit up with the might of Laxus' lightning strike.

The dragoness huffed in frustration as she once again failed to get the dragon slayer killed in battle. Why he continued to choose missions with such easily defeated foes confused her. It's as if he knew she was going to interfere. Which, to be honest, was exactly what she was doing. Today the members of the dark guild they were sent to destroy just so happened to have stronger armour than they should have. Though she didn't expect the dark mages to attack her as well, despite her plan to lounge on the guild rafters and watch the dragon slayer's hopeful demise from afar. One of the assassin mages foolishly decided to materialize behind her and stab a knife into her back. That knife of course shattered upon contact with her dark blue corset. She smirked when she remembered the mage's look of disbelief before she electrocuted him with her tail. Watching him fall to the ground was quite satisfying.

Despite her efforts, the dragon slayer managed to subdue the dark guild. Her chest rumbled as she inhaled the potent scent of blood hanging in the air. She shook herself out of her trance. She really needed to keep her hunger in check. Hopping down from the rafters to stand in front of the battered lightning mage, she couldn't help but snicker at the completely different states they were in. The dragon slayer's shirt was hanging off his body in shreds as he stood in the middle of the ruined guild. A couple of the mages managed to get a few cuts in. Guess they weren't entirely useless after all.

Laxus glared at the dragoness, noting the fact that she looked like she just took a walk in a park. She looked absolutely pristine, while he on the other hand, he noted with a flinch, was a mess. Those damned mages managed to get a couple hits on him today. Which was previously unheard of.

"I saw that mage stab you from behind. How is it you still look like nothing happened?" he questioned, not liking the way the dragoness snickered at him.

The dragoness smirked as she walked over to one of the unconscious dark mages, picking up one of their daggers off the ground. "Oh, you mean this?" She lifted the dagger and in a swift motion, stabbed it towards her stomach. Laxus' eyes widened and made a move to stop her, but before he knew it the dagger shattered upon coming into contact with her top.

"What the-"

The dragoness laughed at his confusion. "This," she said as she gestured to the clothes she was wearing, "is my armour."

"Armour…that?!" Laxus said disbelieving. There's no way that tiny corset and those tight pants could protect anyone from anything. He knew from watching that blonde celestial mage that clothes like that always seemed to get destroyed in battle.

"Created from my own lightning," the dragoness said proudly. "Light as fabric, but as strong as dragon scales." Laxus saw lightning concentrating into her right hand. "And it's not just armour." The lightning crackling around her hand began to gain form. "I can make weapons-," she said as she swiftly lifted the long sword she now held in her hand so that the tip of the sword was within an inch of his neck, light glinting off the surface of the blade. Surprisingly he didn't move an inch. "-as strong as a dragon's claw." She let the sword dissipate in a spark of lightning. She took a couple steps forward, placing her clawed hand on his chest as she stared straight into his eyes. Even though she was a foot shorter than him and was looking up from his chest, in that moment he couldn't help but feel inferior in that golden gaze of hers.

"I am after all…a dragon," she said with a sly smile.

Laxus' brain took a couple of seconds to reorient itself before he realized something. "Wait. Does that mean those dark mages-" He didn't need an answer from the dragoness to confirm his suspicions. Her widening smile was proof enough. No wonder why it felt like he was punching mountains every time he hit one of those mages. She had reinforced their armor with her lightning.

She gave him another smirk, lightly pushing him with the hand still on his chest, before turning on her heel and walking out of the now destroyed guild. Her long blonde hair lightly brushing along her back as she walked.

"You got lucky this time," Laxus called out just as she stepped over the threshold of the guild.

She paused. "No, dragon slayer. Luck has nothing to do with it," she growled playfully.

* * *

It was getting increasing harder to injure the dragon slayer. Since the last time he arrived back at the guild with cuts over his arms and back asking the tiny dragon slayer to heal him, his 'bodyguards' barely left his side. While he dismissed the injuries as his own carelessness, she knew his team was starting to get suspicious of her. As a result, she's had fewer and fewer chances to get the dragon slayer alone long enough to cause anything. Even if she had a chance alone, he would effortlessly thwart her plans, which was odd. She's been feeling weaker than normal lately. Her limbs have been feeling heavier and slower. Was it cause of her hunger? When was the last time she ate? She couldn't quite remember. It didn't, getting rid of the dragon slayer was more important. Thankfully the dragon slayer got annoyed by his team's constant presence and therefore banned them from participating on this current mission. This was her chance. But she got careless…

"What do you think you're doing?!" the dragon slayer shouted furiously. "There were innocent people in there!" She flinched as she followed the direction the slayer pointed towards and noted the family huddling in the corner of the collapsed home. Blinded by her frustration and need to end the man's life, she had hastily collapsed an empty house on top of the dragon slayer after he had driven away a group of ghouls from the building. Except the house was not empty. Blinded by her rage, she had failed to notice the family still inside. If it weren't for the slayer's quick reaction they would've been crushed. She had achieved her goal as he was now injured by the falling debris…but this wasn't exactly the way she wanted it to happen.

She looked over at the small child still clutching onto his mother tightly. She took a step towards them, but froze when the child cried out.

"M-Monster!"

Her expression immediately darkened as a flash of pain shot through her. Yes…that's what she was. A monster. Guess after a hundred years of trying, she still couldn't shake that fact. She's starting to revert back to the way she was. Cold. Ruthless. Her fists clenched. It's all because of the dragon slayer.

Laxus didn't miss the pained expression on the dragon face after being called a monster, but he was currently too angry to care. His left arm was broken and his back was cut open after he had protected the family from the falling roof. With his uninjured arm, he roughly grabbed the dragoness' wrist and dragged her away from the mess she caused. For once she didn't fight him.

"Keep the reward," Laxus said roughly to the town mayor before teleporting the dragoness and himself back to his house. Even though it drained more of his magic, he didn't want to deal with any trains today. Not when he was this pissed.

As soon as they materialized in front of the house, the dragon slayer stalked inside the house, still dragging the dragoness along. When they stood in front of her room, he slammed her back into the door, his eyes blazing with anger.

"You can do whatever you want to me, but you will leave innocents out of it," he growled threateningly before letting her go and walking into his room, slamming his door shut. For the first time, she felt spark of fear travel up her spine. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and walked into her own room.

Later that night, the dragoness tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She couldn't keep the image of the frightened child out of her mind, the word 'monster' reverberating inside her head. Sitting up and clutching her head in her hands, she let out a growl of frustration. She refused to let herself become what she used to be all those centuries ago. She let out a sigh. She had been avoiding it, but it was time to give _her_ a visit. After giving her shut door a quick glance, she quietly lifted the window in her room and slipped out into the night.

Laxus found himself having trouble sleeping as well that night. His mind was still reeling from the events that happened that day. He found himself standing in front of the dragon's door, hand raised and about to turn the door knob. He was prepared to give the female another piece of his mind before suddenly deciding against it. Growling in frustration, the dragon slayer decided to head out and find a woman to blow off some steam with instead.

* * *

"You haven't changed at all," she said with a sad smile. She looked up at the tiny body encased in crystal. The little girl's eyes were closed and she looked relaxed, her long wavy white blond hair behind her, unmoving. Taking the last couple of steps forward, she gently placed her hand on the crystal. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the lacrima as well.

"I've missed you…Mavis."

 _She had been watching the little girl and her companions for a week now, documenting their actions. It was amusing how hard these humans were trying in order to regain that deadbeat town. So much that they were willing to learn magic. The little girl however, seemed to be having trouble._

 _She didn't understand why_ he _was willing to teach them magic. For some reason the little girl captivated his interest, something very few humans were capable of doing. Hell even she was often forgotten by him. Which is currently the case, she noted with annoyance. This was a common occurrence._ He'd _forget her somewhere and wander off, only to come back and find her sometime later. No matter. Time wasn't a factor they needed to worry about. So she decided to spend the time entertaining herself by watching these humans._

 _She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the little girl walk up to her hiding place behind the large tree._

" _Hi!" the girl said with a large smile, shocking her back to reality. She found herself staring the little girl who had just caught her watching._

" _My name is Mavis. What's yours?"_

She spent a while in that position, unmoving, simply taking in the gentle essence of Mavis's magic. It soothed the raging emotions within her.

"What am I doing?" she whispered, her breath hitting the crystal. "I just want to go back to sleep. It was so much simpler. No humans, no mark, no _dragon slayer._ "

She continued to vent, retelling all of her tales to the unmoving body. When she was done, she groaned in frustration, "It's just so frustrating! Why won't they let me go?! It's not like I'll-"

Her eyes widened. Whether it was due to her sudden realization or due to the rough voice that echoed through the room she was unsure.

"This room is restricted." She didn't turn around, instead she simply looked up at Mavis' body once again, reeling in her emotions.

"Son of Yuri," she said emotionless.

Makarov's eyes widened. He was checking up on the old guild building when he heard noises coming from restricted room in the basement. He had panicked and immediately headed down to check up on Lumen Histoire. He wasn't expecting the dragoness to be there.

"How?-" he asked.

"You smell like him," she simply stated.

"I meant how you knew of my father," Makarov said calmly.

She closed her eyes again, feeling the chill from the crystal against her forehead.

" _Guys look what I found!" the little girl, or Mavis as she so carelessly told her, said as she waved down her companions. Why she had let the girl drag her out of the woods and into the clearing was beyond her understanding._

" _Yo Mavis. What do you have there?" a voice called out. It belonged to a young man with spiked dark-blond hair. Residual sparks of electricity were still flowing through his hands from when he was training. Lightning. This man intrigued her._

" _She's my new friend," Mavis smiled._

" _What's her name," another voice inquired. She noted dark green hair and a large build. This one was the one with the tree magic._

 _Mavis's smile fell slightly, "She won't tell me."_

" _How odd," the last companion spoke. Another light blond haired man with a black patch over his eye. This one used bullet magic._

 _The first man spoke up again, "Well that doesn't matter." He walked up to her with a smile, hand outstretched._

" _Yo. My name is Yuri. Nice to meet you."_

She let out the breath she was holding while recalling that memory.

"He was…a friend," she said with a pained smile, hidden from the old man behind her. She turned around to face him.

Makarov smiled. "I see." He was glad to know that she had words like that in her vocabulary.

"You look nothing like him. You don't seem to have grown in height since you were a child," she snorted. Makarov coughed lightly in embarrassment. He was well aware of his lack of height growth since childhood. He was however quite interested in how she had known of him.

"You've seen me before?" Makarov asked the dragoness.

"You could say that," she said. She didn't need him to know that she had watched him grow to the age of four from afar. She decided to change the subject.

"The dragon slayer," she started, her gaze narrowing into a glare. "Is proving harder to kill than I thought."

Makarov's expression darkened slightly, "I hope you understand that I have no intention of allowing you to kill my grandson."

She growled, "Apparently neither does he."

Makarov couldn't help but be amused at the frustrated look on the dragoness' face. "I believe in my boy. He is much stronger than you may think."

"It's…troublesome," she said, lacking a better word to describe her situation. She didn't understand why she was revealing so much to the old man. Maybe it was due to Mavis's presence that caused her to be in a more 'sharing' mood today. That girl had always made her do things she would never think of doing.

Makarov chuckled at the irony of that statement. The dragoness had been quite troublesome herself over the past couple weeks. He had received several complaints of unexplained damage whenever his grandson and the young dragon went on a mission. They were starting to rival the likes of Team Natsu.

She glared at the old man, before turning to look at Mavis once again, a solemn look gracing her features.

"She was the one who did this wasn't she," the dragoness whispered, her hand lifting to touch the mark on her collar, her previous realization now spoken out loud. Makarov was momentarily stunned by the sadness laced within her words.

"She said it was to protect you," Makarov stated. "She was afraid _Zeref_ would come for you."

She let her eyes land on the soft features of the girl's face once more before turning around. _She looks so peaceful._

"Was she truly afraid of him coming _for_ me," she said as she slowly walked towards the sixth Master. Makarov's eyes followed the dragoness as she made her way across the room.

"Or was she afraid of me returning _to_ him," she said cryptically just as she passed the old man. She continued to walk out of the dark room, leaving him in stunned silence.

* * *

The lightning dragon slayer was still angry at her, she noted as she sat on one of the guild benches on the opposite side of the guild as him. He hasn't spoken a single word to her all morning, only opting to drag her to the guild with him. She was sure it was punishment. The guild was loud and unruly as she had grown to expect. It only grew noisier when the fire dragon slayer noticed their entrance. He flew towards her asking her to fight him, but this time he was shut down immediately by the lightning dragon slayer's dark glare. The pink haired mage shrunk backwards and hid behind the blonde one. The one that taught her the glorious invention called a shower. The lightning dragon slayer then walked over to talk to his team. She found it odd that the green haired one wasn't present that day. She concentrated her hearing to eavesdrop on their conversation from across the room.

"Oi Laxus what's with your shitty mood today?" Bickslow asked him. Laxus simply shot him another dark look as he sat down. _Someone's still grumpy from yesterday._

"We're going on a job," he said. _So soon?_

"But Laxusss, the jobs we've been going on with you and the dragon girl are so boring…" Evergreen complained. _Boring for you. They've been quite entertaining for me._

"She's not coming on this one," Laxus said roughly. _Well that's interesting news…_

"What? For real?" Bickslow asked, surprised. His wooden dolls surrounding him repeated his words. "For real? For real?" _Did you not hear what the dragon slayer said? I swear humans have such terrible hearing…_

"Yeah," Laxus said, sounding exasperated. "I need a break from her." _Great. I've need a break from you since the very beginning. A permanent break._

"You're just going to let her wander around alone?" Evergreen asked. _Mmm… I wouldn't mind that._

"No," Laxus said curtly. "Freed's going to watch over her." _Freed…the green haired one?_

"Freed?!" Bickslow laughed, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "He's going to have a field day when he learns that he has to babysit the dragon." _Babysit?! I'm not a child._

Suddenly Freed's voice drifted into the conversation. "I'm glad to do whatever Laxus asks of me," he said purposefully. _Odd. Didn't notice you walking in._

"I've already made preparations. You may leave whenever you wish Laxus-sama," Freed said to his leader. "I will escort the lady back to your house."

"Thanks Freed," Laxus said, before getting up from the table. He walked towards the dragoness. She had turned her head in the opposite direction so she would look less suspicious.

"I'm sure you heard everything," he said to her roughly, his voice still holding hints of anger. "Freed's going to take you back to the house to make sure you won't try anything while I'm gone. I'll be gone for around two weeks. Try to behave."

The dragoness glared at him and was about to retort, but Freed cut her off.

"My lady," he said, but she felt a sarcastic tone to his voice. "After you." He gestured towards the guild entrance. Angry and humiliated at being treated like a child, she stood up and started to storm out.

"Wait, you just got here!" Levy called out. The dragoness looked at the petite mage and patted her head once as she passed by before leaving the guild, followed closely by Freed.

The dragoness and the rune mage walked silently towards the dragon slayer's home. It wasn't long before they reached the house at the edge of town. Freed held the door open for the dragoness as she walked inside.

She turned to speak when they reached the kitchen. "You don't trust me."

"No," the rune mage said stiffly. "I wouldn't trust anyone who would try to bring harm to Laxus."

She stared at the rune mage, whose fists were now held tightly at his sides. "Why do you worship the ground he walks on? He's insufferable and arrogant and-"

Freed cut her off. "Don't you dare talk about Laxus like that," he threatened, his voice low. "Laxus is twice the man anyone could hope to be. He's kind and cares deeply for his nakama."

The dragoness let out a dry laugh. "Again with the nakama. Humans are so foolish." She turned around and started towards the dragon slayer's room. "I've had enough of this nonsense. I'm taking a shower." She left the fuming rune mage in the kitchen. The blonde celestial mage was right when she told her that these so called showers were soothing. She was in there for an hour before exiting. Materializing her clothes again, she made her way out of the dragon slayer's room.

Or she would have if something wasn't stopping her from doing so.

"What is this?" she demanded as she pounded on the invisible barrier that was surrounding the doorway. Suddenly words appeared in front of her.

 _No dragons and associated lightning shall leave the confines of this enchantment._

"What?!" she growled, pounding her fists against the runes even harder.

"It's no use," a voice said. "My rules are absolute."

The dragoness watched as the green haired mage walked out from the kitchen and towards her. She hissed and bared her teeth at him as he stopped right in front of the doorway on the other side of the barrier. "Let me out!"

"I'm sorry," Freed said sarcastically. "But I will have no mercy on anyone who decides to hurt Laxus."

She snarled and sent a bolt of lightning towards the rune mage. The attack was stopped by the barrier. Again those words appeared in front of her.

 _No dragons and associated lightning shall leave the confines of this enchantment._

Her eyes darkened and her growls grew louder.

"My rules are absolute. You will not be able to break free. Think of this as punishment fit for a slave," Freed said, looking down at the dragoness. She bared her canines at him at the mention of the word. "You have caused Laxus much pain these past few weeks. I think it's time I returned the favor." Freed's right eye turned dark and its iris bled a bright purple.

His voice was devoid of emotion. "Dark Ecriture: Pain."

The dragoness suddenly felt as if she was being stabbed with tiny daggers all over her body. Gritting her teeth, she refused to show weakness to her torturer.

Freed's eyes widened at the lack of reaction from the dragoness. How is this possible? She should be writhing on the floor begging for mercy by now.

The dragoness gave the rune mage a crooked smirk. "That's the limit of magic. It's limited by your imagination. You can only inflict pain to the extent that you imagine it being possible. That's your flaw."

"You see you little worm," she growled as her clawed hand slammed against the rune barrier once more, startling the rune mage. "This pain is nothing compared to the pain I have experienced in my lifetime. And I promise you that when I get out of here I'll teach you exactly what it means to feel pain that a human has never felt before." Her words were practically dripping with poison.

Freed was shaken. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He tried again. "Dark Ecriture: Fear."

The dragoness only laughed harder, her voice cackling, "It will be a cold day in hell when I fear a pathetic human such as you."

Frustrated and intimidated the dragoness, Freed gave up, opting to just leaving her there in her new prison. "You will remain here until Laxus returns. Contemplate your past actions." He huffed, then turned away from the door. He turned off all the lights before exiting the house, slamming the door shut behind him.

The dragoness let out a breath as the pain subsided. She sent bolt after bolt of lightning at the doorway and at the walls of the bedroom, but to no avail. The runes continued to hold, mocking her with those same words each and every time she struck them.

After an hour of trying to escape, the dragoness sat down on the dragon slayer's bed, exhausted. She leaned her back against the navy blue walls of the room as she curled her knees up onto her chest as she finally took in her situation. Her breathing grew heavier and heavier as if the air around her was growing thin. The walls began to feel as if they were closing in on her, making the room seem smaller with each passing second. It had never been this bad before. She closed her eyes to attempt to rid herself of the feeling, but one word kept resonating within her mind, awakening memories that she would kill to forget.

 _Slave…_

Outside dark clouds gathered around Magnolia, covering the town in darkness. Its residents began to hear rumblings and hurried inside their homes to avoid the upcoming thunderstorm. The first strike of lightning lit up the entire sky followed by the loud crash of thunder. There was no rain. Only thunder and lightning.

A tiny whisper could be heard echoing through the night.

"Let me out of here…"

* * *

" _Dragon! Wake up!" A harsh voice shouted before she felt the sharp blow of a whip to her body. The blow shouldn't have hurt her, but the shackles on her wrists and ankles were siphoning away her life force, trapping her in her human form and leaving her just as weak. She held back a cry as the whip struck her again and again. She glared at her torturer in defiance._

" _Don't forget your place! You're nothing but a pathetic slave now. To think a proud little dragon like you would be reduced to a useless piece of trash." Her tormentor spat at her before kicking her in the gut. She curled in on herself, attempting to ignore the pain as she lied there on the cold dungeon floor. Her body was covered in layers and layers of dirt, her hair matted together from all the grime._

 _How long has she been here? Ten, twenty years? She's lost count. What should have been a blink of an eye for a dragon like her now seemed like forever. They had told her to run when the Dragon King attacked her home. And so she did. But she didn't get far before these humans captured her. How they managed to do that she would never know. At first they tried to subjugate her, to force her into submission. But she was too prideful to let petty humans control her and use her for their selfish gains. So they resorted to torturing her, hoping that she would submit to the pain. But she held strong day after day…for twenty long years._

 _She looked to her left, noticing the unconscious body of a shackled young male in the cell next to her. He too had experienced the same horrors as she has. In fact, she believed he has been here longer than she has…_

 _She screamed as she was pulled up by her hair. "Don't ignore me slave!" Her tormentor's face was right in front of hers, his breath smelling like the rotting scent of death. His mouth opened to say something else, but suddenly he choked up, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as black miasma spewed out of his orifices. She was immediately dropped to the ground as he collapsed onto the floor, motionless. She stared in shock at his dead body._

 _A soft voice drifted into her cell. "Little dragon. You look like you need some assistance." She looked up to see a young human male before her in her open cell. He had short black hair with dark eyes. He was dressed in a high-collared black and tan robe with gold trim. Draped around his torso was a large flowing white toga._

" _W-who are you?" she asked the man, trying her best to sound menacing. His eyes softened at her._

" _Why, my name is Zeref."_

* * *

 **Cleithrophobia: The fear of being trapped or locked in a small space. Slightly different than claustrophobia as its the actual fear of being locked in and the loss of freedom and not the fear of the small space itself.**

 **A/N: Thanks for all your patience! Finally done with exams. I have three weeks until school starts up again, so I'm hoping to get a few more chapters in faster. I feel like I threw a lot of information that was floating around in my head into this chapter. I hope its not too overwhelming. I debated on adding that last bit to the chapter, but I felt like it was needed to give her fears some context and establish her hinted connection to the great black mage. I also apologize profusely for Freed's actions, but I feel like out of everyone, he'd definitely be the one to overreact to someone attempting to hurt his precious Laxus.**


	6. Arc I-6: Her hunger

**Chapter 5**

The S-Class mission had gone smoothly, to Laxus' relief. It had taken the planned two weeks to take out the dark guilds to the south. While it was odd travelling with only two thirds of the Raijinshuu, Laxus was grateful that they were there. They kept his mind off a certain dragoness that was waiting for him back home. Letting out a sigh and resigning to his fate, Laxus told Evergreen and Bickslow that he was going to stop by his house first before heading over to the guild. As he walked from the train station, he noticed that the sky around Magnolia was dark and ominous and full of thunderclouds. Not that he minded. That just meant more lightning for him to consume.

Laxus walked up the well-worn path to his home just on the outskirts of Magnolia. His house was situated on the edge of the forest. He had paid a large sum for this place. Opening the door to his house, Laxus noticed that all the lights were off. Odd. Did Freed take the dragoness to the guild? It was getting late, shouldn't they have been home by now? Laxus decided to drop off his things first before heading over to check up on the two. Slowly he walked through his house, keeping an eye out for any traps that the dragoness may have set.

He was unprepared for what he was saw when he reached the entrance to his room. There sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall was the dragoness. Alone. She had her back to the window in his room with one knee up and the other leg straight. Her head was tilted forward when he first saw her, her hair covering her face. But when he took a couple of steps into his dark room, her head lifted.

Laxus sucked in a breath. Her eyes which were normally a bright gold had darkened significantly and looked…feral. Her face was pale, but he was unsure if that was due to the sudden flash of lightning from the window. She sneered at him as he entered his room.

"You know, I never thought you would be capable of this dragon slayer," she spat, her voice sounding…tired. "You've outdone yourself."

Laxus was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't act as if you don't know!" she shouted as she sent a lightning bolt just past his head and into the doorway. Out of instinct Laxus had dodged it, but was more confused when he noticed that the lightning bolt didn't go past the doorway. Instead it was stopped…by a barrier?

 _No dragons and associated lightning shall leave the confines of this enchantment._

"What the-" Laxus turned back around to the dragon.

"The green-haired menace did a pretty good job, I'll give him that," she said sarcastically, still leaning against the wall.

"Freed did this?!" Laxus was shocked. What the hell was he thinking?

"Like I said, don't act as if you didn't already know. This was what you wanted no? To cage up your little dragon? To only let her out when it suits your taste? To make her become a slave to your bidding?! " She tried to shout but her voice was strained.

Laxus grew angry as he realized what had happened. "Freed! What have you done?!" He growled to himself.

"I didn't think he would do this when I-"

"Save it. I don't need any apologies. Especially from you," she snarled.

"I'm going to get Freed. He'll undo this," Laxus said roughly, turning around to leave the room.

"You're just going to leave me here?!" The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. Laxus turned around slightly bewildered at her outburst. Laxus couldn't help but notice something off about the dragoness. He took another good look at the female on his bed and noticed…she was shaking. It wasn't something you would normally be able to tell, but with his vision it was obvious. Walking the final distance towards his bed he stood in front of the dragoness.

"What are you doing?" she asked as her eyes narrowed.

Laxus made a thorough observation of the dragoness. Her face looked pale, her body was still shivering and she was curled up into herself. What clued him in was her eyes, which occasionally darted around to look at the walls before closing shut. Then she'd take a deep breath before calming down.

He couldn't help but ask. "Are you claustrophobic?" Subconsciously he knew that now was not the time to make fun of the dragoness, but after she made fun of him on the train he couldn't help it. The tiniest of smirks graced his lips.

Which only set the dragoness off even more, "I'm not claustro-You think this is funny?!" Her voice began to crack.

Coming back to his senses and realizing he was being a gigantic ass about this, Laxus took a deep breath and contemplated his next action. He couldn't believe that he was about to do this. He was going to get himself murdered. Letting go of his breath, he climbed onto the bed next to her.

"Wh-what are you doing?! Let go of me?!" the dragoness shouted, struggling as Laxus effortlessly pulled her into his arms. Somehow he had managed to get her to sit sideways on his lap, while his arms trapped her upper body against his own. He had no idea what made him do this. Maybe because a part of him held himself responsible for all this. There were probably other ways to calm the dragon down, but this was the first thing that come to his mind.

"Just stop squirming. This will help. Trust me," Laxus said as he held her even tighter.

She only glared at him harder. _As if I would trust you. You're the cause of all this_.

Laxus couldn't understand why her struggles were so weak. It was as if she had little strength left in her body. After a few moments she stopped all together, sitting stiffly across his lap.

She growled, but did not move. "This is only happening once you hear." She let her head rest on the only thing that was currently possible. Which happened to be his chest. Slowly she relaxed within his arms.

"And no one. I mean no one hears about this," she whispered.

Laxus pulled her closer, his head resting gently on top of hers. "Yes maam," he said lightly.

"And just to be clear, I'm still going to kill you."

"I know."

She didn't understand why and she would never truly admit it to herself, but the sound of the dragon slayer's heartbeat seemed to calm her senses down. The walls no longer seemed as close and the air no longer as thin. Her shivers slowly died down until all that was left was her heavy breathing.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked out of the blue. The question was sincere. She didn't understand any of the dragon slayer's actions this evening.

"Doing what?" the dragon slayer replied.

"This," she said while motioning to her current predicament. "Even after I tried to kill you."

Laxus sighed, "Look I know you didn't ask for any of this to happen. Hell if I was in your position, you can bet I'd be acting in the same way. If it were up to me and I knew, I probably wouldn't have done it to begin with." They both knew he was talking about the mark.

"Then why did you?" she asked. Her vulnerable state must be what was causing her to talk much more than she normally was. Otherwise she would never converse this much with the idiotic dragon slayer.

"Like I said, Gramps told me to," Laxus explained.

"You don't seem like the type to like following orders," she pointed out.

Laxus raised his eyebrow, "You talk as if you know me. Has the mighty dragon been observing me?"

She rolled her eyes, "Just enough to find your weaknesses."

"Which are?"

"If I was foolish enough to tell you that then I deserved to be collared," she muttered glaring at the wall.

Laxus' eyes softened as he gazed down at the top of her head, but she wasn't looking at him. This conversation was new territory to him. Before this he never would've felt the need to explain himself to others. Why her? What made her so special? Is it because she was bound to him? He sighed before bringing them back on topic. "Gramps was really adamant on this happening, so I didn't give it a second thought."

She growled in annoyance, "Well you should have."

"I know, but he also seemed very adamant on keeping you around," Laxus mentioned. "Look if it means anything to you, I won't hurt you. Even if it was possible for me to. I may have been cruel in the past, but even I won't do something like that."

"…It doesn't. But I will keep that statement in mind just in case you do." She mumbled into his chest.

They didn't say anything after that. Laxus looked down at the dragon curled up against him, his brain still processing their conversation. It was the first time they actually talked liked this. Granted it wasn't much, but he'll take whatever he can get.

Laxus didn't know how long they stayed like that. In an awkward silence. But he waited until the dragoness was calm before speaking again. "I'm going to get Freed."

The dragoness stiffened at the mention of his name, but didn't say a word. Laxus unravelled his arms and set the dragoness back down on the bed. He rose off the bed and made his way to the doorway.

"I'll be back. I promise," Laxus said before walking out of the bedroom leaving the dragoness once again in silence. The only sounds she could hear were the crashes of thunder from outside the window. Oddly enough, she didn't feel as uncomfortable anymore.

"You better," she whispered.

Did the dragon slayer cast some sort of spell on her?

* * *

Freed knew he would be in trouble when he saw the enraged look on Laxus' face as he stormed into the guild hall. His eyes immediately locked on to his leader's and he froze in fear when he saw the look of utter rage within them.

"FREED," Laxus roared as he made his way over to the Raijinshuu. Evergreen and Bickslow were completely frozen in confusion. They have never seen Laxus that angry with Freed before. It was like their leader's mood did an entire one hundred and eighty degree switch from earlier this evening. They looked towards Freed who was frozen in fear.

"L-Laxus! I can explain!" he cried as Laxus gripped him by his shirt collar.

Laxus growled, "You're coming with me. NOW!" Within seconds lightning had gathered around the two and they disappeared from the guild.

The entire guild was silent, but was too afraid to question what just happened. They all gave a silent prayer for the poor rune mage.

* * *

"Explain yourself," Laxus growled as he set Freed down inside the kitchen of his home. The rune mage was shaking in both fear and rage. Laxus has never been like this to him before. It's all because of that dragon!

"I only did this for you Laxus!" Freed shouted angrily, his voice wavering slightly. "Anyone who tries to hurt you deserves to be punished!"

"Damn it Freed! I told you I can handle her!" Laxus argued, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. "How long has she been in there?"

Freed's gaze fell towards the floor.

"Fuck! She's been there the entire time I was gone?!" Laxus shouted, slamming a fist onto the kitchen counter. He looked towards his bedroom. Two weeks. She's been trapped inside his bedroom for two weeks. God knows what her mental state is like right now.

Freed flinched at Laxus' raised tone. "Why are you on her side?! She's trying to kill you!" He cried out.

"Goddammit Freed! I'm not on anyone's side! Don't you understand?" Laxus argued.

"This," Laxus said as he gestured towards his bedroom. "This isn't you!" Laxus combed his fingers through his hair in frustration. "You aren't cruel and unforgiving. You aren't one to dole out punishment. Ugh…This is my fault. If it wasn't for Fantasia-"

"Stop Laxus!" Freed pleaded, "It's not your fault! I-It's mine. I was worried and angry. You'd come home with cuts and bruises and I just knew it was that dragon's fault!" His fists were once again balled at his sides.

"Look I get it," Laxus said. "But I can handle her. You've got to trust me Freed. You can't go losing yourself because of this. We've just gotten ourselves back together. What you've done…no one deserves that."

Freed hung his head in shame. He's not the same person as he was back in Fantasia. "You're right. This isn't me. Not anymore. Laxus I'm so sorry, please forgive me." They had all learned their lesson and Laxus had paid the ultimate price for it. He wasn't going to turn back into that person anymore.

Laxus sighed, "It's not me you have to apologize to." He nodded towards his bedroom. "Take down your runes."

"Yes Laxus."

The dragoness had sensed the pair approaching the house before hearing the sound of their arrival through a crash of thunder. Her instincts instantly flared up as she caught the scent of the one who caused all of this. Subconsciously her growls started emanating from her chest, growing louder as their conversation carried on in the kitchen. She could feel herself losing control as her anger and intense hunger begged her to hand the reins over to her instincts. And for once, she did.

Freed made his way to Laxus' bedroom, but froze right in front of the doorway as he heard the growls coming from inside. Growls that got increasing louder by the minute. He looked into the darkness and only saw two orbs of dark gold and the white glint of teeth before she pounced.

Laxus froze when he saw the dragoness spring forward and claw at the doorway. If it weren't for Freed's runes he was sure the man would have been ripped to shreds by now. He was stunned at her change in mood. The previously pale and frail dragon had turned savage. Her eyes had darkened into an almost blackish gold and her teeth were bared in a constant snarl. Her eyes were marked only on Freed.

"I expected more from you little rune mage," she snarled darkly, her claws raking against the runes with a demented smile. "Next time you truly want to drive your prey into insanity you should trap them in a smaller confinement. In a place whether they can neither stand nor lay."

Another flash of teeth. "…In complete and utter silence so that all they can hear is the sound of their own breath and beat of their own heart."

Freed took a step back, "I'm sorr-"

Another claw dragged slowly down the rune barrier, "…In complete darkness so that not even they themselves can see their own flesh."

Her smile sent sparks of fear down Freed's spine. "And you keep them there until their minds slowly turn on themselves. Gradually driving themselves into insanity."

"That's the real way to break down your prey," she growled. Another flash of lightning illuminated the room from the window.

"L-Laxus," Freed whispered, completely frozen. He couldn't lift the runes. She'd kill him on the spot.

"Oi Sunshine. Keep yourself together." Laxus tried to reason with the dragoness. But she was too far gone. There was only one thing he could do right now if he wanted both Freed alive and the dragon free. "Freed on the count of three remove the runes and run. Take a couple of days out of town. I'll calm her down by the time you come back."

Freed looked to Laxus in shock, "B-but Laxus?!" The dragoness' cruel smile only grew larger in anticipation. She looked at Freed like a lion stalking its prey before the kill.

"Just do it," Laxus commanded, moving to stand in front of the doorway. "Trust me."

Freed closed his eyes in fear. He trusted Laxus. He can do this. "O-Okay."

"One." Their legs bent in anticipation.

"Two." Their teeth bared in a challenge towards the other.

"Three." Their roars reverberated throughout the house as Laxus instantly spurred forward when the runes dissipated, knocking the dragoness backwards onto the bed. She struggled like a wild animal as he trapped her underneath him, his legs straddling her torso and his arms pushing her shoulders down, effectively pinning her to the bed. If he wasn't so focused on keeping her still, he would've noticed the lovely view he had of the cleavage spilling out of her black corset.

"Let me go," she growled low, her teeth snapping at him. She had a lot more fight in her this time around compared to just an hour ago. What did Freed do to cause her to react like this as soon she saw him? He turned towards the doorway, noting that the man was still there frozen in fear.

"Freed! Run!" Laxus commanded urgently. She was getting harder to pin down and Freed still being there wasn't helping.

Freed quickly turned to run, but then her voice pierced right through him, stopping him in his tracks.

"I don't forget my promises human," her voice was dark and cruel. "When I find you, I'll make you experience pain that no human has ever felt before." Freed trembled in fear, but found strength in his legs to move. He ran out of Laxus' house and straight to the train station. He hoped that Laxus would figure out a way for him to get out of this.

Once Freed was out of her sight, the dragoness pinned her attention back on Laxus. She snarled at him and began to fight back.

"Calm down," Laxus growled, hoping to snap her out of whatever haze she was in. Somehow he had a feeling that this wasn't all just because of Freed. She continued to struggle against his hold, but he could tell that she was slowly running out of energy. When did she ever get this tired so easily? It was as if she didn't eat for days or…wait. When _has_ she eaten? Heck what did dragons even eat? Laxus had never gave this much thought. She had always dismissed any sort of 'human' food as she deemed it so he had always assumed she had means to feed herself. But then again, she never really left his side since the day she arrived at the guild so when did she find the chance to…shit.

"When was the last time you ate?" Laxus asked her, his face hovering right above hers. She glared up at him, unwilling to lose even their staring contest. She didn't know why, but she felt her instincts shrink back for the moment, giving her enough control to talk.

"What does it matter to you?" she spat.

"You look like you haven't eaten for weeks," he stated, ignoring her taunt. It was true, she was getting very pale. It didn't help that the sudden flash of lightning from out the window made her look even worse, illuminating and accentuating her paleness. Her long golden hair was spread out on the bed beside her and only served to heighten the fact that she looked more like a ghost than a dragon.

She growled, "Dragons can live for months without food." She didn't need to tell him that she hasn't eat since she woke up.

"When was the last time you ate," he asked again, demanding an answer out of her with the intensity of his eyes.

She glared at him, but she didn't have the energy to fight anymore. "Over eighty years…" If she counted the time that she slept. She wasn't sure if her slumber had affected her hunger, but she was very close to losing her wits again.

"What?!" Laxus exclaimed. How the hell did she survive?! He needed to get food in her now.

"Look I can bring you over to the guild and I can have Mira make you somethi-"

"How many times do I have to tell you I don't eat human food?" she snapped.

Laxus groaned. Then what _does_ she eat. All he can picture right now is her standing outside in the storm absorbing lightning-. Wait? Maybe she's like him…

Suddenly Laxus lifted one of his hands from the dragon's shoulder and held it in front of her, lightning crackling in the middle of his palm. "Here."

She looked at him as if he was crazy, sinking backwards into the mattress. A rumble escaped from her chest.

"Are you serious?" The look on the dragon slayer's face told her he was.

She growled, growing tense as the lightning crackled closer to her face. "Dragon slayer. You don't seem to understand."

"One," she punctuated. "I AM the lightning that emerges from the skies. It surges through me as my life force. Eating or absorbing it, while it provides comfort it does not substitute food. It would just be as if you ate your own lightning." The dragon slayer slowly seemed to grasp her words based on his changing facial expressions.

"Two. You are holding a fist full of anti-dragon magic in front of my face. What are you trying to get at?" she glared at him warily.

Her second point clicked in Laxus' mind. "Shit. Sorry." The lightning in his palm quickly dissipated and his hand dropped back to her shoulder just in case she decided to try anything. "Then just tell me what you actually eat."

She really wanted to roll her eyes at the fool. Was it not obvious?

The dragoness lifted her head upwards towards his, "What if I told you I ate humans?" She whispered mischievously.

Laxus flinched and sent a hard look back at her, pushing her further into the bed. "Don't joke with me."

"I'm not lying dragon slayer," she said sending him a sly smile. She wasn't. She had feasted on plenty a human in her long past. But that was over two hundred years ago. Since then she had simply snacked on wildlife. "But, if you set me free for the night, I'll be a good little dragon and only eat the animals in the forest." She was starving and desperate. Animals or not she had to eat. Now. She could feel the urges resurfacing and having a perfectly edible human hovering over her was not helping.

Laxus contemplated her proposal. He didn't trust her. But he couldn't leave her like this either. He found himself pushing aside his doubts as he responded.

"One night. And you are not to leave the forest." He didn't like the fact that he was giving her an order, but he didn't want to risk her running about like this. He especially didn't want her looking for Freed. God he hoped he had left town by now.

She hissed when she heard the order, but her hunger took precedence over her pride. "Fine. Let me go."

The dragon slayer took a couple more moments before slowly getting off her, kneeling on the bed in front of her. She quickly sat up, her eyes never leaving his. She bared her teeth at him one more time before she turned to lift his window. She stuck a clawed hand out tentatively as if a part of her still expected the rune barrier to still be present. Satisfied that it was truly gone, she let her instincts take over once again before she stole away into the night.

Laxus looked out and watched as she darted into the woods, before falling back onto his bed. He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. He didn't know whether to regret his decision to set her free like that. He just hoped that there were no humans out in the forest tonight. He wouldn't be able to guarantee their safety if they were...

* * *

It's been four hours since the dragoness went into the forest.

Laxus was starting to get worried. It was the dead of the night and the thunderstorm still raged over Magnolia. After collecting his thoughts, he decided to go look for the dragoness.

The forest was pitch black and if it wasn't for his heighted senses and the flashes of lightning overhead he would've gotten lost. However, it wasn't hard to know where to look for the dragoness. The scent of blood was everywhere, cloaking the forest like a pungent perfume. The farther he walked the stronger the smell became. Slowly he started to come across the corpses of deer, foxes, bears and other sorts of wildlife he knew lived in the forest behind his home. He had to try his best not to gag at both the smell and the sight of their bodies ripped apart in a bloody mess like a wild animal tore through them. Most of the flesh was stripped off their bodies leaving only piles of bones and fur. He followed the trail of animal carcasses and finally picked up her scent in the middle of the forest. Despite the lightning storm raging overhead, he was still able to discern between the lightning from the sky and her own distinct scent of lightning, wild and smoky.

Her scent only grew stronger as he neared the clearing up ahead. He knew there was a lake up ahead, but even that knowledge had left him unprepared for what he was about to see. That image, would be burned into his mind for the rest of his life.

Laxus stopped in his tracks the moment he entered the area, eyes wide in shock. A flash of lightning illuminated the clearing as soon as he entered, bringing his attention to the naked dragoness standing waist deep in the middle of the lake. She was facing to the side, her head staring up at the sky. Most of her hair flowed freely behind her, with its tips brushing lightly in the water. A large section stayed in front, caressing her breasts.

But that wasn't what made him stop. What made him freeze was the blood.

It was everywhere. It trailed from the side of her face all the way down her naked body. It stained her long blonde hair a deep red. It surrounded her like pool of red emanating from her body as it spread out into the water, staining it a dark crimson.

Another flash of lightning lit the skies. In that moment she turned to face him. He now saw the blood flowing from the side of her mouth and down her chin. He followed the trail as it travelled down her neck, through the valley of breasts until it trailed down her navel and into the water. His eyes trailed back up her body until he caught sight of her eyes. Those dark golden orbs still held the feral glint within them. She stared at him with her cat like eyes as if he was prey, her gaze never leaving his own. Her lips parted for a moment, her tongue peeking out to lick a blood soaked fang before retreating back into the cavern of mouth.

He was mesmerized by the entire scene in front of him, rooted to the same spot. Moments passed that felt like forever until her gaze softened as if she recognized him. Slowly the feral glint in her eyes receded and her eyes lightened into the bright gold that he was used to. Her eyes never left his as he gradually approached her. Step by step he took until he was right on the edge of the lake. He slowly brought his arm forward, his hand open as he silently reached for her.

"Come."

Her gaze finally left his as she stared at his outstretched hand for a moment. Slowly, like a deer approaching its hunter, she walked towards him, her hair trailing in the water behind her. Her claws lightly brushed the water's surface, transferring more blood into the once clear waters. She walked until she stood in front of him, her hair now covering parts of her body like a red curtain. But it left nothing to the imagination. Instead it only accentuated the few patches of skin still untouched by the blood.

Her arm slowly lifted until her hand rested in his. Gripping it gently, he pulled her out of the lake and silently guided her back to his house. No words were exchanged as they entered his home and he brought her into his shower. He turned on the water and watched as the bathtub stained red. It was in this moment that it finally hit him how much of a beast she truly was. She was wild, untamed and held none of the human characteristics she previously had. The challenge to tame this wild beast sent his blood pumping in exhilaration.

How long would it take for her to revert back to normal? Has she fed enough? The colour had come back to her cheeks, and she was no longer as pale as before. Her grip had been strong when he guided her back to his house, a far-cry from the weak struggles she held against him just hours before. Physically she seemed well.

It took him a while to completely clean her. The blood clung tightly to her, unwilling to let her go. Despite her obvious naked state, there were no sexual undertones as he brushed a damp cloth over her curves. He simply felt like he was bathing an animal. Throughout the entire process, her gaze was solely on him, staring intensely. After the task was done, he dried her off and led her back to her room. He gently laid her down on the bed, covering her body with the navy blue silk sheets. He stared at her for a couple more moments before turning to leave the room, heading back into his own. He collapsed onto his bed completely exhausted and immediately fell into a deep slumber.

He left her door opened that night. Her eyes stared intensely at the closed door across the hall, before slowly fluttering closed.

Gradually, the thunderclouds hovering over Magnolia drifted away, revealing a clear night sky, illuminated by the soft glow of the moon and the bright shine of the stars.

* * *

" _Zeref?! The great black mage Zeref?" she exclaimed. Her chains clinked against the ground as she shrank backwards in slight fear. What is the great Zeref doing here?!_

" _Yes," Zeref simply replied, his soft voice causing her to relax slightly._

" _Why did you save me?" she asked. "What do you want with me?" The other humans had wanted her for something too. Humans always wanted something._

" _I want you to help me," Zeref told her. Her eyes widened as she looked up at the black mage._

" _Help you?" she repeated. "Why me?"_

" _Because little dragon," he said as he grasped her chin, lifting it with a gentle hand. "You are special."_

 _H-how did he know? "W-why should I help you?" she said defiantly, trying to change the subject._

 _The black mage smiled, his face moving closer to hers. "We both have the same enemy do we not?"_

" _We do?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion._

" _We do," he replied simply. "The Dragon King."_

 _Her body immediately shivered in fear at the mention of the Dragon King. He had destroyed everything she had known. Her friends…her home…her father._

" _If you come with me, we will destroy the Dragon King…together," he promised her._

" _Really?"_

" _Really." Zeref answered, his calm voice soothing away her doubts._

 _She paused for a couple of moments before making up her mind._

" _Okay..." she said warily. "But on one condition!"_

" _Which is?"_

" _We have to take him with us!" she demanded as she pointed to the boy in the other cell. He was still lying there unconscious, bound to the wall with his own shackles._

 _The black mage looked as if he was contemplating her demand until he nodded, "Alright, we'll take him with us." He walked over to the next cell to sever the boy's shackles and carried him back in his arms._

 _For the first time in a very long time, she smiled._

" _Alright little one, I'm going to release your bindings," Zeref told her._

 _She felt the dark magic hover over the shackles on her ankles and wrists. In moments she heard them shatter apart. Immediately she felt the large surge of her power flowing back through her veins. Her fangs started to elongate and she could feel her wings and tail growing back._

 _Zeref held a dark smile as he watched her transformation, "We will wait for you outside until you are finished."_

 _She gave him a dark smile of her own as he disappeared with the boy in a cloud of darkness._

 _A loud roar pierced through the night before tormented human screams filled the air. Not a single soul was left alive in that dungeon by the time she was finished._

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks to all those that have followed/favourited/reviewed my chapters! Definitely let's me know that I'm doing something right with my first story. This chapter was a little shorter than the others, but with the way it ended I felt like it would ruin the mood if I added anything else, so I've bumped that into the next chapter. It's practically already written so it should be up soon.**

 **Also, it has been noted that I have not said/used the dragoness' name as of yet. Which is very true. Like she's said before, names are special and shouldn't be said to just anyone which is why she hasn't said it yet. I already have her name reveal scene all planned out and it should come within the next few chapters if things don't change. I already have a name set in the back of my head, but I'm always open to any suggestions that might make me change my mind!**

 **I know it's been a little slow, but I want her to establish her place in the guild first. Once everything's set in place I will be moving on to follow with the manga story line. And don't worry Freed will come back. Much sooner than you may think!**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	7. Arc I-7: Five seconds

**Chapter 7**

The light from the morning sun had only just peaked in through her window when her eyes snapped wide open. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this…energized! She sat up and practically leapt off the bed, running her fingers through the long blonde mess that she liked to call hair. Why it always tangled like that when she slept she had no idea. She quickly made her way across the hall. Her hand was about to turn the doorknob into the dragon slayer's room when she was suddenly hit with all the memories of last night.

She couldn't stop the growl that surfaced when she recalled the return of the rune mage after her two week imprisonment. She remembered the rage she felt when she had caught his scent. Oddly, she wasn't more enraged now. Was her previous anger fueled in part by her hunger? Regardless, the green haired mage will answer for his actions.

She didn't remember much after she let her instincts take over.

But she did remember the incident with the dragon slayer.

She couldn't hold back the inward groan when her memories replayed inside her mind. How could she have allowed herself to be pulled into such a powerless position by that dragon slayer?! What was going through her brain? Was it even functioning at that time?

How did the dragon slayer even manage to calm down her fears?…

She sighed. Now she owed him one.

She vaguely remembered when she set her instincts free the second time. The memories were hazier, but she remembered the thrill of hunting. The feel of the strong winds against her hair as she darted through the woods. The sound of thunder as it raged overhead. The taste of fresh flesh slipping down her throat as she effortlessly ripped through the bodies of her prey. She had feasted on so many animals she wouldn't be surprised if there were none left. And the blood, the scent of blood in the air only urged her on.

She remembered stepping into the lake to rinse off the blood when her appetite was satiated. But she was interrupted. There was a hand...and a voice. After that it was all a haze. Somehow, she had gotten back into her bed that night…

She looked down at herself, noting for the first time that morning that she was clean. That's impossible, she should still be soaked in blood…

Did the dragon slayer come to get her? Was he the one who cleaned her?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It didn't matter. Taking hold of the doorknob once again, she turned it and ventured inside. She wanted a shower anyways.

* * *

Laxus wanted to pummel whoever it was that woke him up this early in the morning. The sun was just rising, its light dimmed by the curtains over his window. He figured he only had a little under two hours of sleep after last night's events. He groaned as light streamed in from his doorway.

Who was it…Bicks? Nah there was no way he would ever be up this early in the morning. Ever? If it was her she'd be all up in his face by now. Freed?...Shit Freed. He still needed to find a way to get him back without the dragoness ripping him to shreds. Wait, then who does that leave…oh. Her.

He heard footsteps pad lightly through his bedroom and he cracked an eye open just to verify his suspicions. He was right. The dragoness had snuck into his bedroom and headed straight for his shower. No surprise there. He watched her closely to see if she was still in the same condition that she was last night. Like a wild animal. But based on her current actions it doesn't seem like she's like that anymore. However, he was very surprised to see her waking up at this god forsaken hour. She never quite liked waking up anytime before noon and if she did she was quite lethargic. So what changed?

Laxus heard his shower turn on. Well at least her new found love of showers hasn't changed at all. Knowing her she'd take a full…huh. The shower turned off. How long was that? Fifteen minutes…that was fast. He heard shuffling behind his bathroom door and he quickly closed his eyes again, pretending to be asleep. He heard light footsteps across his floor until they stopped. Right in front of him. Then he heard something he never thought he would hear her say willingly.

"I'm going to the guild."

And with that he heard the dragoness walk back out of his bedroom. A few moments later he heard the front door slam shut.

Laxus laid there on his bed for a couple more minutes, contemplating what just happened. Was this the same dragon? Suddenly he realized that he just let the dragoness venture out of his house. Alone. Letting out a groan, Laxus quickly scrambled onto his feet to get ready.

* * *

It was still early when she arrived at Fairy Tail, but to her surprise it was already quite full and bustling. However, when she entered they all looked at her with curiosity until Levy ran towards her.

"Ryuu-san! Where have you been! You were gone for two weeks after Freed took you away. We were worried!" Levy exclaimed, looking up at her with her wide blue eyes.

"Why?" The dragoness asked, confused. Worried? Why would they be worried about her?

"Ha? Why wouldn't we be worried? You're our friend," Levy said with a big smile.

Friend…this word keeps showing up at this guild.

The dragoness had come in wearing her typical ensemble, this time with a red corset. But Levy noticed something oddly missing that's normally around the dragoness.

"Hey…where's Laxus?"

She was about to respond to Levy's question, when suddenly the pink haired dragon slayer popped up out of nowhere, fists ablaze.

"Rairyuu! Let's fight!" Natsu shouted, sporting a wide grin on his face. His eyes sparkled with excitement. The guild was unprepared for what happened next.

The dragoness nodded.

The guild all reacted together, "Whaaaaatt?!"

Natsu's eyes widened, as did his grin. Shouting in excitement, he quickly grabbed the dragoness's wrist and dragged her out back before she could change her mind.

The dragoness stared at the hand around her wrist as she let herself be pulled along. She must have still be high off of last night's hunt because under any other circumstances she would not have let that pink haired human touch her like that.

Levy must have noticed something similar, "Ahh Natsu…shouldn't you let her go now?"

But typical Natsu was too oblivious to care. All he cared about was how he was about to fight a real dragon. A real dragon! This was what he was trained for! Granted she currently didn't look like a dragon, but she certainly smelled like one. And from the job they went on a couple weeks back she definitely had the wings and tail of a real dragon. Although they were made of lightning...Igneel's were not like that. But that doesn't matter. She was definitely a real dragon.

Once they reached a large field to the back of the guild, Natsu finally let go of the dragoness and hopped back a couple of feet, standing directly across from her. The field was surrounded by large trees on one end. Lucy ran up to him.

"Natsu…are you sure about this?" Lucy asked. "I mean she's a real dragon!"

Natsu's smile only grew bigger "I know!" His voice could barely contain his excitement. His body was already heating up in anticipation.

"Oi Flame brain! You sure you don't want to back out?!" Gray shouted from the sidelines. "Wouldn't want you croaking so soon." All of Fairy Tail had gathered by the edge of the field for this fight. None of them would miss it for the world. Even Evergreen and Bickslow were among them.

"Hey Bicks, where's Laxus?" Ever whispered to her companion, watching as Natsu started stretching. The dragoness only stood there. Calm and collected.

"I have no idea. But he must be quite confident, if he's willing to let her out of the house alone," Bickslow replied.

"I wouldn't put it past him to be still sleeping…"

Suddenly, Makarov's voice echoed throughout the field. "Ho ho! This will be interesting." The guild members all turned around to see the sixth Master walking into the field with Mira close behind. Even the Master came out to watch?!

"Master! Why are you stopping this?" Lucy pleaded.

"Haa? This will be good for Natsu. Right Mira?"

"Hai!" the barmaid agreed, with a soft smile plastered on her face.

Lucy felt an armored hand on her shoulder.

"The Master is right. This would be good experience for a dragon slayer like Natsu," Erza reassured the celestial blonde. "We should simply watch and support him from the sidelines."

Lucy placed a palm to her face as she turned back to watch the two in the open field. She couldn't help but feel worried for her pink-haired friend…

"Alright step right up and place your bets!" Cana shouted over the crowd. She was already hunched over the betting board and taking bets for the winner. It only took a couple of moments for multiple bets to be placed.

Lucy sweatdropped. "Cana…"

"Hmm Lucyyy what's wrong with having a little fun on the sides?" slurred the drunken brunette with a wide grin.

"Aye! Cana…one for the dragon please," Happy announced as he placed a couple of jewels into the pool.

"Happy!" Natsu shouted from all the way in the field, slightly offended that his best friend wasn't on his side.

"Sorry Natsuuu…" Happy laughed sheepishly. "But you can't even beat Erza…how are you going to beat a dragon?"

"Haa?! Just you wait Happy! I'll show you!" This only got Natsu even more fired up.

Makarov stepped onto the field in between dragon and dragon slayer.

"Alright. Classic Fairy Tail rules apply. Which means…anything goes! With the exception of killing of course."

The dragoness let out a sly smile, "Hmm…What a shame..."

Natsu scoffed. "Ha! As if I'd let a dragon defeat me." He cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

The sixth Master walked back to the edge of the field where the rest of his guild was watching. He raised a hand and the crowd quieted down.

"Begin!"

"Yosh! I'm all fired up!" Natsu's fists quickly burst into flame as he leapt towards the dragoness.

She stood there with a smirk on her face as she quickly deflected the dragon slayer's first blow. She had some extra energy to blow off after feeding. She figured this will do.

She sparked with electricity as she countered Natsu's next punch. Her body twisted around to dodge the flaming fist as she swung her leg around, striking the mage dead on, sending him flying into the nearest tree. Birds were sent flying from the tree tops as Natsu made impact.

The crowd hooted and hollered as Natsu quickly recovered and flew right back into the fight. Each flaming punch and kick was countered by lightning covered arms and legs.

Seeing an opening, Natsu went in for a stronger attack. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He was aiming for her bare forearms which were currently crossed in a defensive formation in front of her face. He expected to come in contact with flesh-

"O-Oi! Where did you get those?!" Natsu shouted in surprise. In a flash of lightning, her forearms which were bare just moments before were now covered by black and red guards. They were still enveloped in the sparks of electricity. When he made contact with them, it had felt like he was hitting dragon's hide just like Igneel's!

The dragoness smirked as she sent the fire mage flying backwards once again with a timely punch. Natsu coughed as he got up once more.

She placed a finger to her lips, mocking the dragon slayer. "Secret." It only served to fuel the dragonslayer on.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" The flames quickly burst forward, encasing the dragoness as the trees behind her were scorched. Natsu's smug look was only there for a few moments until the smoke cleared to reveal the dragoness unharmed, standing behind a barrier of lightning.

"That's unfair!" Natsu pouted. The fight went on for another couple of minutes, but it was obvious who had the upper hand.

Gray stood there watching on the sidelines, growing more agitated as the fight went on.

"Damnit I want in on the action!"

The dragoness turned to face him just as she stopped another one of Natsu's punches with her bare hand. She sent him a smirk as she gestured towards the ice mage with her other hand.

 _Join in._

Gray eyes widened and he sent back a smirk of his own, before quickly stripping himself of his shirt and running onto the field.

"Gray!" "Gray-sama!" Lucy and Juvia both shouted as the ice-mage joined in on the fight. What was he thinking?!

"Oi Popsicle get out! This is my fight!" Natsu shouted angrily as Gray stood next to him.

"Well from what it looked like on the sidelines it didn't look like a fight at all," Gray taunted. "Looked like someone was getting a beating."

"Why you…" Their foreheads bashed together in a clash of dominance. Their silent battle was quickly ended as both of them were blasted backwards by a bolt of lightning. The crowd watching all sweatdropped at their stupidity.

"Foolish humans." The dragoness leapt forward, sending a punch straight for the two mages still on the ground. The rest of Fairy Tail sucked in a breath. That was the first time she moved from her original spot since the beginning of the fight.

Her attack was quickly blocked by a shield of ice.

"Ice Make: Lance!" A large lance made of ice suddenly shot out from behind the shield. The dragoness quickly backflipped off of one hand, avoiding the weapon as it sailed over her.

"Hey!-" Natsu started.

Gray interrupted before Natsu could continue. "Natsu, now isn't the time to argue. Look." Gray pointed to the dragoness who was encased by lightning. "She's getting serious."

Natsu turned to look at the dragon. Gray was right. She no longer looked as bored as she did previously. With a dark smile, the dragoness moved her hands up and gathered her hair into long ponytail. She secured it together with a long black ribbon, its ends trailing in the wind. Her bangs were left out, shaping her heart shaped face.

The dragoness now held her own battle stance, her weight resting towards her hind leg. Her golden eyes hardened. The crowd held their breaths.

This fight was starting to get interesting. Two mages. She could have fun with this. She smirked as she held her hand out in front of her. She curled a finger towards her in a come hither motion, beckoning the mages to attack.

Both the Fairy Tail mages burst forward.

"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!" "Ice Make: Hammer!"

The dragoness effortlessly dodged the two attacks, with a well-timed twist and flip. From the sidelines she looked as if she was dancing across the battlefield, graceful and majestic. Even her attacks were perfectly executed.

Time and time again the dragoness sent the two mages crashing into the trees with her counterattacks.

"Hmm. I wonder why Ryuu-san only uses physical attacks?" Levy asked to no one in particular.

"Hmph. That's cause if she actually attacked for real, the torch and the icicle would have long been fried to a crisp," the rough voice behind her answered. Levy turned around.

"Ah-Gajeel!" she exclaimed, with a slight blush. "I didn't know you were here."

"Heh, as if I would miss the flame brain getting pummeled by the dragon," Gajeel replied, ruffling her hair. Levy turned back to watch the fight, her face beginning to match the colour of a tomato.

"Ice Make: Sword!" A sword of ice materialized in Gray's hand as he swiped towards the dragoness. He let out a small cry when he thought he made contact with her unprotected shoulder, when, in a sudden flash of lightning, his sword collided with…a jacket?! When his sword struck, it immediately shattered into tiny shards of ice.

"What the-?!" Gray was dumbfounded. He swore just a moment ago she was wearing just a strapless blood red corset. At the most, she had those arm guards that magically appeared during her fight with Natsu. Now it seemed as if she traded those guards in for a full on black biker jacket. Even so, his ice shouldn't have smashed so easily…What is happening?

"Hah Gray! It seems as if Rairyuu's the opposite of you!" Natsu shouted, laughing. "The more she fights, the more clothes she puts on!" Gray turned to respond, but yelped when he noticed he was already in his boxers. He could only imagine what Juvia was saying on the sidelines…

The dragoness on the other hand was more interested in Gray.

"Ice mage," she said, gaining Gray's attention. She stood across from him and Natsu, wearing that stupid jacket and corset on top of her long black pants and sharp combat boots. "It seems as if you can fight with weapons."

"Y-yes." Gray didn't like that look on her face.

Suddenly lightning gathered in her right hand and in a quick flash a long gold and black sword materialized in her hand.

"What is going on?!" Gray shouted comically as he dodged the swipe aimed for him.

Shocked was an understatement to the rest of the crowd watching. First she made armour then a sword?! The dragoness was starting to look a lot like Erza…

Just as they all had that thought, they all turned to look at the requip mage, who was now sporting a dark grin.

"Ho…so she can fight with weapons," Erza chuckled to herself darkly. The rest of the guild members shrank back slightly as a dark aura seemed to grow around Erza. Suddenly, the red haired mage burst forward, running onto the field.

"Don't mind if I join!" Erza announced as she requipped mid-jump. She landed in the field fashioning armour that was gold and light blue. Her red hair was in a long braid with a gold band on the top of her head. Two ribbons adorned the side of that band.

"That's Erza's lightning empress armour!" Lucy exclaimed. "That's the armour that can withstand lightning…!"

Erza's blocked the dragon's next sword swing with her long spear.

"Armour that can withstand lightning," the dragoness repeated slowly. "How interesting!" The dragoness leapt backwards.

"Erza…" Natsu started to complain. Why were so many people joining in on HIS fight?!

One dark look from the requip mage shut him down. "Silence."

"Y-Yes!"

Erza immediately leapt forward to strike with her spear…only have it grabbed by the blade. While she was originally bare handed, the dragoness now sported black fingerless gloves right where the blade was digging into her palms. Suddenly, Erza felt electricity travel through the length of her spear. Shocked, she immediately jumped backwards, away from the dragoness.

The dragon's sword suddenly disappeared, only to have it replaced by…Erza's spear?!

"What?-" Erza was shocked. Her opponent now held the exact same spear as she did. How did she manage to do that?

"Ah! The dragon copied Erza's spear!" Happy shouted from the crowd.

The dragon's smug laugh rang though the air. "As one with true dominion over the lightning of the skies, I have the power to bend it to my will. It does as I command." She leapt towards the red haired mage once again.

The two spears clashed in battle as Erza countered the dragon's attack. After a few moments, Natsu and Gray joined in as well.

Seeing the other two mages rejoining the battle, the dragoness suddenly leapt backwards from them all. Her laughter swept through the field as she stood on its other side.

"Let's make this fun shall we?!"

Releasing more of her power, she let her wings and tail conjure forth. Electricity flowed through the air. One flap of her wings and she flew up into the air, hovering over the mages on the ground.

Erza's eyes widened. She had not forgotten the sight of the dragon's wings and tail. But at the time, they had been used to protect Levy and Wendy. Now, she knew those lightning appendages would be dangerous to the touch. She was glad to be wearing her Lightning Empress Armour. She looked to her left and right. Both Natsu and Gray now had serious expressions on their face.

Makarov hadn't intended for the fight to get this far. Honestly he thought Natsu was going to get defeated in a matter of seconds. He hadn't thought that the dragoness would play into their game. But after seeing the look of the dragon's face, he decided not to stop the fight.

Smiling, she went in for a dive, aiming her spear for the red-haired mage while whipping her tail towards the dragon slayer. The two spears clashed once again while the dragon slayer leapt out of the way. She flew back up into the air.

The three mages looked to one another before nodding.

"Ice Make: Cannon!" "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" "Haaaaa"

* * *

It had taken Laxus much longer to get to the guild than he'd like. His lack of sleep made his movements slow and lethargic while getting ready to leave his home. And as soon as he made it outside and into town, he accidently bumped into some of his fangirls. It had taken quite some time to get himself untangled from all the limbs that were trying to grab at him from all angles. He couldn't help but feel slightly violated every time he ran into these situations. Where was Freed when he needed him…

By the time Laxus reached the guild, he had noticed it was entirely empty.

"What the-" he said out loud. "Where is everybody?" As soon as the words left his mouth he heard a large explosion coming from behind the guild. Making his way around the back, he hearing yelling and cheering…Laxus was unprepared for what he saw next.

"What the hell?!" he blurted as he saw what was happening in the field. The dragoness…was fighting with Natsu, Gray and Erza?!

"Ah Laxus, looks like you decided to join us," Makarov smiled. "You've missed quite a bit already."

"Gramps…how long has this been going on?"

"Oh…about ten minutes. It seems like your dragon is having quite the time."

Laxus looked up at the dragoness who was flying in the sky. She was…laughing?! And it wasn't like one of those laughs she made when she was mocking him. It was…genuine. She was laughing as if she really was having fun…

Laxus wasn't the only one shocked by her genuine laughter. The rest of the guild was as well. There she was the mighty thunder dragon. The one who had stormed into their guild in a destructive rage just a month ago demanding Laxus' head…laughing like she was having the time of her life. The sweet laughter ringing throughout the field was a drastic change from the roars of anger not too long ago.

Levy had a large smile on her face as she looked up at the dragoness. The rest of the guild may not have believed it when she had told them, but she knew that the dragoness wasn't scary. She knew all along.

She didn't realize she was laughing until she heard it herself echoing through the field. Was she really having that much fun? She hasn't felt like this since…since her time with Mavis and Yuri. The fight hadn't been going for long and already she was able to burn off the excess energy she had. It was exhilarating to be able to fight again. Her instincts purred in agreement.

Laxus watched as the dragoness flew through the sky. He wouldn't personally admit it to himself, but she looked beautiful. Graceful, but strong. Like a warrior princess. He was mesmerized by the way she would effortlessly counter attacks from even Erza. Her movements held none of the wild, erratic nature she had the night before. The only remnants she had left of last night was all in her eyes. They still held the wild look in them, but this time it also held a glint of mirth.

She was blocking another strike by the ice mage when she caught sight of the lightning dragon slayer standing in the crowd. She knocked the mage back before flying back into the sky. She smirked at the dumbfounded look he had on his face. Guess fun time is over. It was time to show the dragon slayer exactly what she's made of. Her pride refused to allow his last impression of her to be of her vulnerable state the night before. No. She will show the dragon slayer what it really means to face a dragon.

Suddenly, the dragon's expression grew dark, a wolfish smile on her face. Instantly, Natsu and Gray scrambled backwards. That expression…the dragoness looks just like scary Erza!

Levy took it all back. The dragoness was scary… Right now she looked like Erza after someone knocked over her strawberry cake. Levy looked towards the real Erza on the battlefield. She hasn't even flinched. As expected of Titania…

Dark clouds started to gather and the sound of thunder crashed into the field as lightning flashed overhead. With a quick smile, three lightning bolts came down from the sky. Still hovering above the ground, the dragoness watched with a wolfish grin as they struck the two mages who attempted to run and the one who surprisingly stood firm.

Natsu and Gray were instantly out for the count, lying comically on the ground in a smoking crisp.

Erza, was now down on one knee, holding herself up with her spear. She made a move to stand, but the dragoness instantly materialized in front of her in a flash of lightning. With one smooth round kick, the dragoness sent her straight into a tree, effectively ending the battle in mere moments.

The rest of the guild went silent, their jaws dropping to the ground. What just happened?… One moment, the three looked like they were putting up a good fight, then the next the dragoness had a personality change and in an instant the fight was over.

"Scary…" Natsu and Gray whimpered from their respective places on the ground, smoke still rising from their bodies.

The dragoness dropped back to the ground, wings and tail disappearing. She slowly walked over to where the red-haired mage lay. She extended out a hand to the woman on the ground.

Erza's eyes widened in shock. She grabbed the dragon's hand and allowed herself to be pulled up to a stand.

"Erza Scarlet," the dragoness stated. Erza's eyes widened another fraction. She didn't expect the dragon to use her name. "You were impressive…for a human."

If the crowd's jaws could fall any farther they would. Was that a compliment?

"And you…were absolutely terrifying," Erza replied with a smile. They moved to shake hands. Around them their dark auras seemed to merge together into one.

The crowd shivered in slight fear as they saw a potential new friendship between two frightening demons.

She turned to find the eyes of the lightning dragon slayer wide in what looked to be amazement. _Hmph. It's not the look of fear…but close enough._

Laxus could barely contemplate what just happened. This was what he was dealing with?! If he was concerned after last night, then this was a whole new level. _Gramps. What have you gotten me into?…_

Makarov on the other hand was absolutely elated by the turn of events.

"Master," Mira said from beside him, gaining his attention. "Ryuu-san seems to fit right in no?"

Makarov smiled, "Yes Mira, she does."

* * *

Fairy Tail had a small feast after the fight. The guild was once again as noisy as before. Natsu and Gray spent their time sulking at their loss at one table as did all the others who foolishly bet against the dragon, hoping for a miraculous win. Erza spent her time talking to the dragoness at another. Though the dragoness didn't talk much, Erza somehow persuaded her to explain the way she re-created her spear.

"What you did…is it like Gray's Ice Make magic?" Erza asked curiously, while stuffing a fork of strawberry cake into her mouth.

"No. My powers don't work like that...Gray's magic involves creation and creativity, while I'm simply commanding my lightning to re-create. My lightning does as it's told. I sent it through your spear and commanded it to mimic its construction," the dragoness commented.

Erza subtlely noted that Gray also earned the right for the dragoness to use his name today.

"Wait that means-"

"It is simply a replica. My lightning compacts together until it gains solid shape strong enough to match the strength of a dragon's claw. It only held the physical properties of your spear, it doesn't have any of its magical properties," the dragoness explained.

"Ah…but regardless that is amazing. Does that go the same for your clothes?" Erza asked, gesturing to the dragon's outfit.

"Yes. They become my armour and are made as tough as dragon scales," the dragoness boasted. Somehow she found it easier to talk when she was showing off her abilities. She tried hard to deny it, but she was starting to like it here…

"That is certainly impressive. I must show you my collection one of these days," Erza insisted. The two continued their conversation unaware of the shocked gazes the guild members kept staring at them with. It was an odd display to see the two of the scariest females in the guild conversing with no care in the world.

The most shocked out of all of them was Laxus. The lightning dragon slayer sat on the opposite side of the guild watching the dragoness, whose behaviour had changed so drastically from the past month. Well she was still the same as before, however her moods were less extreme and she was less on edge. Was this because she fed?

"The dragon girl seems a little nicer today doesn't she?" Evergreen noted from her seat next to him. Laxus kept his eyes on said dragon, who sent a dark glare in his direction when she caught him staring.

Bickslow laughed, "Nicer to everyone except you boss."

Laxus growled, "Shut up Bicks." He rose from his seat and walked over to where the dragoness was sitting.

"It's time to go home," Laxus declared, leaving no room for objections. The dragoness opened her mouth to respond, but before she had the chance, Laxus already had her flung over his shoulder.

"Let me go!" she shouted as Laxus started walking to the guild entrance.

The rest of the guild watched with wide eyes as Laxus made his way out of the building with the dragoness over his shoulder. Only Laxus would have the courage to do that to one of the newly appointed scariest females in Fairy Tail…

* * *

The dragoness complained the entire way back, shouting insults at the dragon slayer. Eventually Laxus put her down, so she spent the rest of the way sulking behind him. They were almost home when the dragoness started growling. Laxus was about to turn around to ask her what was wrong when he caught the scent of the one causing her irritation. _Freed._

Said rune mage was currently standing outside of his home.

"Freed what are you doing back so soon?" Laxus hissed. He wasn't ready for him to return. He still wasn't sure of the dragon's state at the moment. He turned around to see her eyes narrowed and her fangs bared in anger.

"I'm sorry Laxus, but I must atone for my mistakes," Freed insisted, bowing low. He had come to this decision last night. He wasn't going to run away and let Laxus deal with his problems anymore. He walked towards the dragoness, her growls growing louder with each step. His eyes locked onto hers as he addressed her.

"You said you would show me pain no other human has ever experienced. I'm prepared for you to do so."

Laxus' eyes widened in shock. "Freed! What are you saying?!" But Freed wasn't paying attention to him anymore.

She stared straight at the green-haired mage for a while, her previous rage building up from before.

If he wanted pain than she can show him pain.

"I will take you up on your offer," she snarled, stepping forward. Laxus moved to stop her.

"Laxus don't," Freed pleaded. "Let me do this."

Seeing Freed's determination, Laxus moved to let the dragoness pass.

"Don't kill him," Laxus whispered as she passed by him.

She turned to look at the dragon slayer. There was obvious worry and pain in his eyes. For some reason, it brought back the memory from last night when she was being comforted in his arms. Despite her very instincts clawing at her to kill the man before her, she knew she owed the dragon slayer a favor for banishing her fears last night.

 _Fine. I'll spare him._

"5 seconds," she stated as her hands began to spark with lightning. Five whole seconds to teach this man to never mess with a dragon ever again.

"Alright," Freed said with hard resolve. He was utterly terrified, but he will not break before his leader. He closed his eyes and held his breath.

The next five seconds were the longest he'd ever felt in his life.

 _One._ He could hear his own agonizing screams forest as he felt his body being electrocuted to the core.

 _Two._ He fell to the ground and curled together in searing pain as the electricity caused all his muscles to pull and cramp like they wanted to snap.

 _Three._ He could practically feel his cells beginning to burn and melt.

 _Four._ He started seeing horrid hallucinations from the way the electricity played with the nerves in his brain.

 _Five._ He wanted to lose consciousness, but her lightning kept his brain awake, forcing him to experience the final moments of his pain, both physical and mental before finally…

It was over. Freed immediately passed out.

Laxus' heart clenched in immense sorrow as he saw his friend in such agonizing pain. His screams pierced through his very core and the sight of him still convulsing after it was all over threatened to make him vomit. He ran over to Freed's side and quickly absorbed any residual electricity that was still left over in his system.

Laxus knew she was capable of this horror, but until now he hasn't seen it show. His eyes blazed with anger and hatred as he glared at the dragoness while cradling Freed in his arms. He immediately teleported back to the guild in search of Wendy. Thankfully she was outside so the rest of the guild didn't have to see Freed in this state. He made sure she didn't ask any questions and made her promise not to say anything to the other guild members.

The dragoness flinched slightly from the obvious hatred in the dragon slayer's gaze before calmly walking back into the house.

* * *

She was standing in the middle of the hallway in between their two rooms when he had returned home.

He was silent as he walked up to her.

"You're a monster," Laxus spat when he brushed past her to enter his room.

Her heart immediately froze over as she heard those words come out of the dragon slayer's mouth. Her face turned cold.

"You should be glad I kept him alive. Because next time…I won't," she said expressionless before walking back into her room, closing the door shut. She leaned against the door. Her heart clenched in pain over what she had done and what he had said.

She didn't know why she felt guilty. The rune mage should be nothing but a pathetic human, who tried to play with fire. But her mind flashed to all the other humans she was surrounded with today. Their smiles, their laughter. That human belonged to them as well. Was that why she was guilty? Because she had hurt one of their own? She could easily imagine their faces if they had known what she had done. _Monster_. They'd definitely say it too.

She didn't understand why her heart clenched at his words. The dragon slayer should have been happy that she heeded his request. Why was she so bothered by his anger and his words? His thoughts should mean nothing to her…

Laxus slammed his own room door shut once he was inside, before leaning against it. He immediately regretted his words as soon as he said them. He knew how it would affect her. But he was just so angry at her. Even if Freed was the one who started it all...

Why is it always one step forward and two steps back with her?

* * *

 **A/N: I'm so sorry Freeeed! I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't forsee any outcome where he would get away unharmed so this was the best I could do. Don't worry he's not permanently injured.** **The fight scene also kinda got away from me, but I had a lot of fun writing it. I've been asked about her relationship with Zeref, but since he doesn't show up until much later in the manga/anime her relationship with him will be slowly revealed. I want to fix things with her and Laxus first ;D**

 **Thanks for reading up to this far! It's really appreciated!**

 **Until next chapter!**


	8. Arc I-8: Nakama?

**Chapter 8**

The following two weeks were tense. Laxus counted a total of five sentences exchanged between himself and the dragoness. Surprisingly most of her time was spent either sleeping in or running off to the guild by herself. The only good thing to come out of this was the odd lack of 'accidents'.

Laxus might be kidding himself, but ever since the incident with Freed, the dragoness hasn't been trying as hard to cause her 'accidents', even when they were out on jobs. Either she's getting careless, or she's changing her mind about kill him. Laxus had to laugh at himself for that second thought. There's no way she would change her mind about killing him.

He has noted her changes in behaviour though. She's opened up a little more to the guild since her fight with the three musketeers from Team Natsu. She's been friendly, well as friendly as she can be, to everyone...except him. The times when they happened to be in the guild together she opted to sit as far away as possible from him and the Raijinshuu. It was obvious that she was purposefully ignoring him. And for some reason, it annoyed him. Was she angry at him because he got angry at her?

Laxus wasn't even mad at the blond dragon anymore for what she did to Freed. And surprisingly, neither was Freed. In fact, Laxus was relieved when she had heeded his wish when dealing with Freed, but seeing his close friend on the ground in such pain had caused something inside him to snap that day. Her distant nature when she's around him was starting to get on his nerves though. But there was no way he would admit to himself that he was starting to miss her constant insults, threats and dare he even say it...her assassination attempts.

Freed could see that the dragon's cold shoulder was starting to bother his great leader. He felt slightly guilty that he was the cause of all this. Even he could see that Laxus was starting to get irritated that the dragoness was ignoring him for so long. Knowing both Laxus and the dragoness, neither of them were going to apologize to each other anytime soon. So some crazy part of him decided to he wanted to change that.

Which is how Laxus currently found himself standing outside his house with the Raijinshuu.

"Are you sure about this?" Evergreen asked. "She probably doesn't want to see us." Laxus had talked to the rest of the Raijinshuu about what Freed had done to the dragon. He figured they needed to know. He drilled it into them that the dragoness was a part of their lives now and nothing was going to change that. She was personally happy that they were here. She was horrified when she heard what had happened to the dragoness. She was hoping that the dragon girl would be able to put it behind her. Though she doubted that it would happen.

"You mean me," Freed mentioned, shying away from the door. It's been a week since he's healed from the incident, but even still he found himself with a slight shiver down his back as he stood in front of the door. He reminded himself that this was for Laxus.

"Well, we're here already so we might as well go in," Bickslow said, his babies repeating his last two words. He was also completely shocked at what Freed had done. He understood the reasons behind it, as he too was worried about Laxus' safety, but he didn't think that Freed would go that far.

Laxus nodded. It was time to put this behind them. He unlocked the door to his house, slightly nervous as he wasn't sure how the dragoness would react to seeing Freed again so soon. He pushed the door open…only to immediately slam it back closed as soon as he looked inside.

But it was too late. The Raijinshuu all caught the sight of the dragoness standing in his kitchen. Naked.

The dark aura suddenly surrounding Evergreen could rival that of Erza's as she stared down her leader.

"Laxus…" she said with a threatening tone.

"W-wait Ever, it's not what it looks like," Laxus said with his hands waving in front of his face. This side of Evergreen always scared the shit out of him, even though he'd never say that aloud.

Bickslow on the other hand was laughing his ass off. "Boss. I think it's exactly what it looks like. What were you thinking hoarding such a lovely body all to yourself?"

Evergreen's dark aura only grew more. "You boys are the enemy to all women! Despicable! How could you let her walk around the house with no clothes on!"

"She said she had no need to wear her armour inside the house...and she has no clothes of her own, so…" Laxus said nervously. He knew he was caught. His free show was officially over.

"What?!" Evergreen screeched. In moments, the two perverts were sporting large bumps on the top of their heads. Evergreen stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her. "Don't you guys dare come in until I say so!"

Laxus and Bickslow stood outside still nursing their injuries while Freed stood their silently, looking away from the door with a slight blush on his face. They could hear shuffling inside the house followed by the sounds of Evergreen giving orders to the dragoness. Their eyes widened in shock over Evergreen's courage. Within ten minutes, the door slammed open once again, revealing a still furious Evergreen and a confused, fully clothed dragon behind her.

"We're going shopping. Don't you dare follow us!" Evergreen warned, dragging the dragoness down the street and to the market.

Bickslow laughed with his tongue sticking out, "Well that was a good start to the day, eh Laxus?"

"Shut up."

* * *

The dragoness wasn't sure how she got persuaded to leave the house with the brown haired fairy, but she had a pretty good idea it had something to do with the woman mentioning how they would be getting more things. Which instantly perked her interest. She wouldn't pass down the opportunity to add more items to her already massive hoard back at her den. Which is how she found herself currently perusing through the many stalls in the market with the woman.

"I still don't like you dragon girl," Evergreen stated. "But I refuse to allow a woman to be subject to those perverted gazes."

"Why should I care about what human men think of me?" The dragoness simply noted.

Evergreen flushed, "You shouldn't! But it's still good manners to stay clothed in the presence of other men."

"…I see." _Human traditions are so odd._

"Look…" Evergreen spoke, her voice softer. "Like I said, I may not like you, but I want to apologize for what Freed did. It was horrible."

"Why do you care about what he did to me? I'm your enemy. You are right to not trust me."

Evergreen turned around to point at her with her closed fan. "Laxus made it very clear to us today that you aren't our enemy anymore. You're nakama now. It is only natural to care about our friends. Even if her favourite past time is to find ways to kill my great Laxus." Her eyes narrowed at the dragoness.

"Nakama…" the dragoness said to herself. _The dragon slayer said that? Why…_

"Which irritates me," Evergreen started, throwing her hands up into the air. "Laxus treats you better than he treats most people. Why do you continue to try and kill him?"

The dragoness gave her a raised eyebrow. A look that pretty much said, 'Seriously?'

"If someone bound you to them like a slave, what would you have done? Roll over like a dog and accept it?" the dragoness said, sarcastically.

Evergreen snorted, "Of course not. But he never treated you like a slave. Did he?"

She stayed silent, but she already knew the answer to that question. _No._

Not receiving an answer to her question, Evergreen turned back around to continue walking as they were starting to cause traffic in the middle of the street. The dragoness followed suit.

She caught herself staring at the mark in the mirror of another store. It stood out so prominently against her lighter skin. Her hand subconsciously reached up to touch the tip of the mark that rested in the middle of her collar. It surprised herself, but over the past two weeks she sometimes found herself forgetting that the mark even existed. It didn't activate itself ever since the day she went on that job with Levy and the others. The only reminder that it was still present was the constant restriction of her powers.

Evergreen noticed the depressed look on the dragon's face as she stared at her mark in the mirror. She sighed. She found herself sympathizing with the dragoness. If she was in the same position as her, she would be fighting against it as well.

Evergreen walked up behind the dragoness, pulling the dragoness out of her thoughts. "We're not thinking about this anymore. We're supposed to be having fun on this shopping trip dragon girl. Whether you expect to or not!" Determined, Evergreen led the dragoness away from the mirror and out of the store.

After that they passed in and out of many other stores. In each, she was forced into multiple different outfits by the brown-haired woman. At first, it was sort of irritating, but after seeing herself wearing those garments in the mirror, it was starting to get a little…enjoyable.

Evergreen was actually having fun on her little shopping trip with the dragon girl. She normally doesn't get to spend a lot of time with other woman, since she spends most of her time with the Raijinshuu. So this was a nice change of pace. Besides, she caught those tiny smiles the dragoness started to have when she checked herself out in the mirror with her new outfits. Even though she wouldn't say it, Evergreen knew the dragon was having fun.

"Fairy-," the dragoness started, bringing Evergreen out of her thoughts.

Evergreen interrupted her. "As much as I would love for you to call me that, my name is Evergreen."

The dragoness paused for a moment, "Evergreen."

"Yes," Evergreen smiled as she heard her name. "Now what were you going to say?"

"How is this all being paid for?" the dragoness asked.

"Ho ho," Evergreen let out an evil laugh. "Why it's going all on Laxus' tab of course."

The dragoness answered with a wicked grin. "I see…" The dark aura surrounding the two woman started scaring the nearby shopkeep.

* * *

The men were utterly shocked at the mountain of purchases the two woman had made when the two returned to Laxus' house. They were even more shocked at the apparent new friendship that was struck between the Fairy Queen and the dragoness. The two walked into the house and unloaded their new purchases into the dragoness' room, all while conversing about their day.

Bickslow laughed, "Well at least someone made progress today. Looks like Ever made a new lady friend." His babies chimed in. "Lady friend! Lady friend!"

"Mm," Laxus grumbled from his seat in the living room.

"What's wrong boss? Jealous that the one making ground on the dragoness wasn't you?"

Laxus scoffed, his arms folded. "Why would I be jealous?"

Bickslow opened his mouth to reply, but Freed chimed in before the two got into a mini fight, "Well I'm glad that it was Evergreen."

Laxus relaxed, letting out a smile as he listened to the excited chatter of his brown haired friend in the room next door.

"Ya."

Ever had been longing for a female friend for a while. He hoped this would last.

* * *

She was angry. Well angry was an understatement. Only three weeks after the past incident and here she was once again being babysitted. By another one of the dragon slayer's bodyguards. This time it was the odd seith mage with the soul dolls. She roughly pulled the door open as the mage knocked on the door that morning.

"Aww…little dragon don't be so sad to see me," Bickslow teased as he walked in through the door. His babies followed. "Sad! Sad!" The perverted part of his brain was slightly disappointed that she was wearing clothes this morning. Seems like she's been following Ever's instructions. Though…he wasn't too unhappy with her state of dress. It looked like the dragoness was one for comfort as the door had opened to a beautiful blonde in an oversized t-shirt and seemingly nothing else.

Said blonde was now walking away from him towards the kitchen. The breeze from the open doorway lifted up the bottom of her shirt. Ah. At least she was wearing panties. Black lace. Classy.

The dragoness flinched. "Don't call me that." She moved to sit on one of the kitchen stools, with one leg crossed over the other.

Bickslow held back a smirk at the way the dragoness was sulking over by the kitchen island. In a sense it was kind of cute.

"Hey don't be angry. Laxus and the others left for the job last night so they should be back by tonight. If it wasn't for Ever and your massive shopping spree they wouldn't have needed to go on this S-Class mission," Bickslow explained. _And I wouldn't have needed to play babysitter._

The dragoness only sunk further into the chair, her shirt bunching at her waist to reveal more of her long shapely legs. _Though, I'm starting to not mind._

"Why are you sulking beautiful? Missing your dragon slayer already?" Bickslow teased with his tongue hanging out. The dragoness only shot him a dark glare. He was starting to understand why Laxus liked teasing her so much. Her reactions are priceless.

"Are you going to lock me up in the house too?" she growled, staring at the seith mage warily.

"Hell no. God, I know what Freed did was messed up okay? I ain't gonna that. But you've gotta know that Freed is extremely sorry for what he's done." "Sorry! Sorry!" His babies chimed in.

She growled, "He better be." She studied the seith mage as he leaned against the door frame.

"By the way. You look hideous," she said bluntly.

Bickslow deadpanned. "Thanks…" Well there goes the _lovely_ impression he had of her. Must have gotten her sudden eye for fashion sense from Evergreen...

The dragoness walked up to him and quickly snatched his visor off his face, revealing his dark crimson eyes. His hood was pushed down in the process, revealing his bright blue and black hair.

"Wait what are you doing?" Bickslow shouted, instantly feeling nervous without it. He reached to grab it back, but she hid it behind her.

She gave him another once-over. "Better, but still not great."

Bickslow snarled, "Give it back."

She turned her back to the seith mage, holding up the visor to her eyes. "How do you see out of this thing? It must be quite uncomfortable."

Bickslow glared daggers at the dragon's back. "That's not the point," he said, gritting his teeth. "It's supposed to protect other people from my magic."

"And do they need protection from you?" she asked innocently, turning back around to look at him.

Bickslow looked away, "No. I have control over my own magic now." He didn't when he was younger and he had hurt many people with his Figure Eyes. But, since then and since meeting Laxus he's worked hard to learn to control it. And he has. He hasn't lost control in years. But that doesn't matter. "But it makes the others more comfortable if I have it on."

The dragoness gave him an odd look, as if she didn't understand the words coming out of his mouth. "Why should you care what makes other people comfortable? Shouldn't you think about what makes _you_ comfortable?"

Bickslow blinked. He's never really thought of it that way. "I guess…"

"Well then. That's settled," the dragoness said as she tossed his visor somewhere into the living room next to the kitchen.

"Hey!" Bickslow shouted, annoyed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

The dragoness rolled her eyes at him. "Like I said, you don't need it. Especially around me." She scoffed. "As if _your_ magic is strong enough to control my dragon's soul." She punctuated her statement by poking him in the chest.

Bickslow's eyes widened in surprise at her knowledge of his magic.

"Don't be so surprised. It is common sense to be aware of your enemy." _Besides I'm familiar with black magic._

Bickslow sighed, "Oi dragon girl. We aren't your enemy anymore. We're na-"

"Nakama right?" she said sarcastically, cutting him off. She turned around to plop herself down on the kitchen stool again.

Bickslow sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Are you always like this around Laxus?"

"Of course not," she said, spinning the stool around. "I'm _much_ more unpleasant." She gave the blue-haired mage a dark smile.

"And why is that?" he probed.

"Do _you_ act friendly around your captors?" she answered, counteracting with a question of her own.

Bickslow's face hardened, getting slightly angry at her accusations towards his leader. He moved to stand in front of the dragoness, bending at the waist so his face was right up in hers.

"Did Laxus ever _act_ like your captor?" he interrogated.

Her eyes widened at the seith mage's bold question. "…No." She tried to turn her stool away, but his hands quickly grabbed onto its sides, holding the stool in place.

"Did Laxus ever _hurt_ you like a captor would?" the seith mage continued harshly, his sharp eyes staring straight at hers. She was starting to regret tossing that visor away.

Her mind flashed back to her imprisonment three centuries ago. They had whipped her, beat her and tortured her day in and day out. The dragon slayer, as much as she hated to admit it, never did any of those things.

She bit her cheek as she turned her head away.

"No."

"Then maybe you should revaluate your opinion of him," Bickslow suggested, his voice softening. He lifted his hands off the stool and walked towards the living room. His babies followed closely behind him.

"Then why won't he let me go!" she called out.

"That you'll have to ask him yourself," he replied as he waved a hand behind him. That was a question he wish he knew the answer to himself.

"But, enough of that," Bickslow said, looking around for something that would change the depressing mood. He spotted something lying in the corner of the living room. He turned to face the dragoness with a sly grin. "Let's have some fun." The dragoness raised an eyebrow.

* * *

Laxus, Ever and Freed had arrived in town the night before so that they could have an early start to the job this morning. Despite being labelled an S-Class mission, he anticipated that the job would be done swiftly. It was an extermination request for a high-level beast. Rumored to be a demon. Many other mages have tried to complete the job, but so far they have been unsuccessful.

They had just finished speaking with the town mayor about the job this morning. According to the mayor, the beast lived in the mountains near the town. Recently, many townsfolk have gone missing, rumored to have been devoured by the beast. The town was getting desperate to rid themselves of the demon, thus the high reward.

Laxus seemed confident about this job. He's dealt with plenty of demons before. After their meeting with the mayor, Freed, Evergreen and himself went back to their hotel to stock up before heading into the mountains.

Laxus gave a sigh as he picked up his communications lacrima while sitting on his hotel bed. Guess it wouldn't hurt to make a quick call for a status check…

"Thinking of checking up on Bicks and the dragon girl, Laxus?" Evergreen asked with a suggestive smile.

Laxus scoffed, "I just want to make sure the house is intact and the two haven't killed each other yet."

"Well the call isn't going to make itself just cause you stare at it."

Laxus gave the woman a glare. He dialed the number for the communications lacrima to his house. After a couple of rings, Bickslow's face showed up on the screen. Laxus was surprised that Bickslow was walking around without his visor. He didn't do that often…

"Yo Boss! What's up?" Bickslow greeted. "Missing us already?" He gave Laxus a wink.

Laxus rolled his eyes at his blue-haired friend. "We've just spoke to the client about the job. We'll be heading out to the mountains after this. We should return home sometime tonight if things go well. What's your status?"

"Everything's going fine here! Just having a little fun with the dragon girl," Bickslow said with a wolfish grin. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth. His face turned away on the lacrima screen.

"Ah Kitten! Do you want to say hi to Laxus?!" Bickslow shouted over his shoulder.

Laxus's eye's grew wide before his expression darkened. _Kitten?!_

There was a short pause. A clear response from the living room was heard through the lacrima.

"No."

Bickslow could be seen scratching the back of his head as he spoke next. "Ah sorry Laxus, guess she's too busy right now."

"What exactly are you guys doing?" Laxus growled.

"Oh that? Why we decided to try out that karaoke machine I bought you last year," Bickslow laughed.

"What."

"And may I mention, your dragoness has the voice of an angel," Bickslow cooed jokingly. Laxus could hear his babies in the background. "Angel! Angel!"

Before he could reply, Laxus heard her voice in the background.

"Bickslow. It's not working. Fix it."

"Hai Hai," the blue-haired mage replied, humouring the blonde dragon. His face turned back on the screen. His eyebrows scrunched before grinning widely. "Hey Laxus, what's with that face? Are you _jealous_ that I got her to use my name before _yours?_ "

Bickslow's laugh annoyed him. "As if I'd care about something mundane like that." But what irritated Laxus was the fact that he did care. Seemed like the dragoness was making friends with everyone but him…

"Aww boss don't worry I'm sure she'll come around. Anyways gotta go! As you can see we're doing fine here. Have fun on your mission," Bickslow winked, before shutting off the lacrima.

The comical dark aura surrounding Laxus grew larger as he heard Evergreen snickering behind him. Even Freed couldn't hold back a pitiful smile at his leader's grumpy face after the call.

"Shut up. We're heading out."

* * *

After the call, she just felt irritated. Who was he to come and check up on her? What was she, a child?

After another two hours of house arrest she grew frustrated and bored. She got up off the living room couch and walked towards the front door.

"Oi, dragon girl, where do you think you're going?" Bickslow asked, instantly following her.

"Outside," she answered dismissively.

She was almost to the door when she was blocked by the seith mage.

"Ah gorgeous," Bickslow said with his hands up in front of him. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Her expression darkened slightly. "You know that the only one I _can't_ harm is the dragon slayer," she threatened, small sparks coming off her body.

After his afternoon with the dragoness, Bickslow didn't really take her threats seriously anymore. "No can do. It's already late afternoon, Laxus will be back later tonight."

As if she cared whether or not the dragon slayer returned. The seith mage didn't seem to be swayed by her threat. And she didn't really feel like going through with it either. Perhaps a different approach was needed. She pinned a seductive smile on her face as she took another step forward, sliding her body up against his. If what she remembered was correct, this technique was usually pretty successful on human men.

"Are you sure we can't go outside?" she purred, pressing her breasts into his chest. She batted her long eyelashes up at him.

What is she doing?! That was all that was currently going through Bickslow's half fried brain. Was she trying to seduce him?! He didn't even know she was capable of doing that. That fact that her T-shirt was almost paper thin did not help at all. He could feel her nipples brushing against his chest. As tempting as it was to fall under her spell, he had to resist. Laxus would murder him if he did anything to the dragoness.

He silently shook his head in protest.

"Hmm Bickslow," she slurred, deliberately emphasizing his name. Her deep golden eyes pierced straight into him. Bickslow groaned. This vixen. He felt like the tables had turned on him for once, with her staring straight into _his_ soul.

"N-no," he managed to croak out, proud of himself for generating words. He normally wasn't like this with other woman. If this was any other woman, she'd be pinned against the door by now.

She was confused despite the slight scent of arousal she caught. This worked with almost all the other human men... This usually only doesn't work if…!

"Is there someone who has already captured your desires?" she suggested with a wolfish smile. She traced a finger along his chest.

"Whaat?" Bickslow sputtered. How does she..?

His expression gave it all away to her. Though she had already known.

"The card mage."

"I-I don't know what you are talking about," Bickslow denied profusely. He turned his head away to avoid eye contact with the ever insightful dragon. "...Besides she's not interested."

"Not interested in you? Or in men? Because I can vouch for her interest in men."

"W-what do you mean?" He didn't like where this was going.

Not one for subtleties when it comes to situations like this, she continued. "Unfortunately, I'm not deaf. I live in this house too. To be honest, it's quite irritating. Makes it hard to sleep."

Bickslow's heart dropped at what the dragoness was insinuating. Does that mean Laxus and …

"Ah she's not the only one. Though I don't believe that makes your situation any better, I suppose. I know I should be more polite, but it's really not in my nature to do so."

Bickslow stayed silent.

Taking that as her cue, the dragoness tried to make her way for the door. Only to be interrupted by a loud ring.

Bickslow stared at the communications lacrima on the kitchen counter, the caller ID bearing the picture of Laxus' face. For a moment, he hesitated in picking it up, a dark feeling building up in his chest. Only for a moment.

"Don't leave the house," Bickslow instructed the dragoness as he walked over to pick it up. His babies blocked the doorway. She huffed at her missed chance.

He didn't get the chance to greet the caller, as the panicked face of Evergreen showed up on the screen. She looked extremely pale and battered.

"Bicks!...Ugh...Help!" Evergreen panted, her voice extremely weak.

Bickslow's face immediately hardened. "What is happening? Ever!"

"That demon..." The dragon's ears immediately perked up. "...ugh...tougher than we thought...help...Laxus...AH!"

The signal suddenly cut off, the lacrima screen going blank.

Bickslow's shoulders started shaking in panic. "I-I need to go help!" He suddenly realized how far their job was. "Ugh! The town is six hours away! I'll never make it! UGH! What do I do?!"

He turned around to face the dragoness, eyes burning in rage.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

"I-It's your fault! If it wasn't here _babysitting_ you I could've been there!" Bickslow spat in anger.

She hated that she flinched from his sudden change in attitude towards her. This was the way it was supposed to be. She shouldn't be shocked at this.

In his rage, Bickslow momentarily lost control of his eyes. It was only for a moment, but it was too late. It was true that he wasn't able to control her soul, but for that quick moment he _saw_ it. He stumbled backwards in horror. _Her soul…_ _What happen-_

He quickly felt his view into her soul get cut off, as if she forcefully shielded herself from his gaze. He looked back into her eyes and saw her golden orbs staring back in shock…and fear. She was breathing heavily. He wanted to ask her about what he saw, but he could tell she wouldn't answer him.

What did he do?! And what did he see?! She had felt his probing gaze and quickly shielded her soul from it, but she was sure he had seen it. She needed to distract him from asking any questions.

She took a quick look at Bickslow, deeming him fit for battle before she quickly stripped herself of her human clothes. Quickly doning her regular armour, she then went and gathered up his soul dolls in her arms before stuffing them in the mage's arms.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bickslow shouted in confusion. He was still so shocked at what he had seen and still so panicked that he hadn't even noticed the dragoness strip right before his eyes.

"You wished to go to them," the dragoness stated.

His anger came right back. "Don't you get it?! It's too far! By the time we get there, they'd...they'd" He didn't want to finish that sentence. He'd didn't want to complete that thought. He only wished that he were with his team. They should be fighting side by side, not with him sitting here while they were in danger.

The dragoness sighed, before forcefully pushing Bickslow out the front door. He turned to complain again.

"You know where they are?" the dragoness asked, before Bickslow got a word in.

"Ugh! They're in the town of Myra, six hours east of here. I'm telling you we won't make it in time."

Her gaze hardened, slightly offended. "Never underestimate a dragon." She walked around the seith mage so that she was facing his back. Pausing for a slight moment, she then slowly put her arms around his body. She felt him immediately stiffen within her arms. _Please I feel more uncomfortable than you do._

"W-What are you doing?!"

The dragoness sighed once again, before calling forth her wings. They spread out wide in arcs of lightning behind her body. Giving them an experimental flap to judge the extra weight she'll be carrying, she then held onto the seith mage even tighter.

"One. I'm only doing this so that I can see _his_ demise for myself." Another flap and they were in the air. "And two. You owe me." In seconds, she had them flying out of Magnolia at breakneck speeds. Six minutes. She'll get them there in six minutes.

* * *

Laxus had thought this mission would be simple. They had entered the mountain forest after heading out from the hotel that morning. After walking around for a while, they began to hear sounds of laughter ringing through the trees. Following the sounds, they ran through the forest and up the mountain, until they reached a clearing overlooking a cliff. At the very edge of the cliff stood a boy.

He was small and pale, wearing simple clothing. His face sported a small teardrop tattoo. To any other mage, he would have looked like a small child looking for help. But Laxus knew better. He could smell the foul scent emanating from his body.

The boy tilted his head slightly to the side, a creepy smile plastered on his face. "Hello there. Are you here for me?"

"Well that should be obvious," Laxus stated. He turned to look at his companions. "Freed, Evergreen."

"Yes Laxus," they replied. The two quickly made to move into their battle positions, when suddenly they fell to their knees. What…what is this? It suddenly felt as if they lost all strength. They could feel their magic seeping out of their bodies.

The boy had his hand raised in front of him. "Ah…three on one. That doesn't seem quite fair," the boy pouted.

Seeing his friends on the ground, Laxus growled. "What did you do to them?!"

"Oh that? Well I was getting a little hungry so I decided to feed on their magic," the boy answered with a smile. "You see, there were other mages that came to find me, but they couldn't quite satisfy my appetite. But you. You look quite delicious." The boy's tongue came out to lick his lips. Laxus could see fangs protruding from his mouth.

Laxus sent a bolt of lightning towards the demon, but with his hand held up, the boy simply absorbed the magic into his body. Laxus' eyes widened in shock. This wasn't going to go well. "Freed, Ever, run. I'll take care of this."

"Laxus!" they shouted. They weren't going to leave their leader to this beast. Before they could even move, they screamed as they felt more of their magic drained out.

"Ah…they aren't going anywhere," the boy taunted. He turned towards Laxus. "You. The lightning mage. Let's strike a deal. If you can defeat me before I drain you of your magic, I'll let those two go."

Laxus snarled at the demon, not liking this. But he had no choice. "Deal."

"Laxus no!" Ever shouted. That demon was too strong, there's no way they could defeat it without magic. She suddenly noticed the communications lacrima on the ground next to her. It must have rolled out of their bags when they collapsed to the ground. She quickly reached forward and grabbed the lacrima. She dialed the first number that came up. It rang for longer than she wanted it to, but Bickslow's face then showed up on the screen.

"Bicks!...Ugh...Help!"

She could see his panicked face on the screen. "What is happening? Ever!"

She struggled to speak. "That demon...ugh...tougher than we thought...help...Laxus..."

Evergreen screamed as the lacrima burst while she was still calling for Bickslow to help.

"Nuh uh! No calling for backup sneaky human!" The boy scolded. He raised his hand towards her once again.

Evergreen collapsed onto the ground as she felt more of her magic being siphoned out of her. She didn't know if calling Bicks was a good idea, but maybe if he came _she_ would come too…

Laxus leapt forward, aiming a punch towards the demon, successfully breaking its attention from Evergreen. The demon quickly jumped backwards, avoiding the hit.

His laughter rang throughout the clearing. "That's it! This is more fun!"

Laxus was panting hard. That bastard was tougher than he looked. Even with his physical attacks, the demon dodged them with ease. After a couple of minutes Laxus could feel himself running out of time. His magic was starting to run low. He felt himself falling to his knees. _Damn it._

"Ah…Is the lightning mage giving up so soon?" the boy teased.

"Shut up," Laxus growled as he tried to stand up. He managed to get onto his feet, but his legs gave way as soon as he tried to take a step. He fell back onto his knees, growling in frustration.

"Aww…I guess my fun time is over then," the boy pouted. The demon walked up to Laxus with a toothy grin. He gripped Laxus' throat with one clawed hand, causing him to grunt. "It'll be fun draining you directly from the source." His grin grew wider and Laxus could see his fangs glinting in the sunlight.

Laxus felt himself getting weaker by the second. He tried hard to struggle against the demon, but he was unable to move as the boy leaned down. _Damn it._ The demon's jaw opened, fangs forward and about to bite down-

"Baryon Formation!" Laxus heard the announced attack followed by some very unmanly screaming.

The beam of green light grazed just above his head, forcing the demon to jump backwards to avoid being struck. Laxus turned around to see his blue-haired friend falling down ungracefully from the sky only to be caught last minute by his dolls. He landed by Freed and Evergreen.

Said blunette was completely frazzled, "That crazy dragon lady! Who the hell just drops someone from the sky like that?!"

He was getting heavy. After letting go of the seith mage once they reached their destination, she decided to go sit comfortably on a tree branch to watch everything unfold.

When Bickslow saw his comrades on the ground he quickly sobered up. "Freed! Ever!" He ran over to their side.

"Bickslow…save Laxus…" Freed wheezed. He was running out of magic. He could feel himself getting weaker by the second.

"Laxus, right." Bickslow immediately turned back to head towards his leader when suddenly he was hit with a wave of exhaustion. He felt as if all the magic in his body was being sucked out of him.

"Intruder! You dare enter my mountains and attack me?!" The demon's voice had now lowered an entire octave. His hand was reached out towards Bickslow. His previous playful demeanor was now replaced by pure rage.

"Bicks run!" Laxus shouted, his breath shallow. He tried to move, but he couldn't summon the strength to do so. _Damn it, not Bicks too._

The demon let out a demented laugh. "It's too late lightning mage! You can just sit there while I kill your precious little friends."

"No," Laxus whispered in horror. He watched as tiny shadow copies of the demon emerged from the ground. They started heading towards the Raijinshuu who were all laying on the ground, barely conscious.

The three mages closed their eyes to their fate as they saw the first one swipe at them with its claws. They reopened them as soon as they heard a yelp of pain. They watched as the shadow crumbled to the ground, convulsing as it was covered in arcs of electricity.

"It's cowardly to attack a foe that has already been defeated," she said, hopping down from her position in the tree and slowly walking towards the three on the ground. The other shadows quickly tried to attack her but with a swipe of her hand they too were electrocuted, quickly dissipating.

"Dragon girl!" Bickslow and Evergreen shouted in relief. They watched as she walked up to them.

"Please save Laxus!" Evergreen pleaded from the ground.

But she didn't move.

She had felt it already when she was sitting in the tree. The mark…was weakening. The demon had siphoned out of so much of the dragon slayer's magic that his life was starting to be affected. In simple terms…

The dragon slayer was dying.

She stood there amidst their pleas and begs as she stared at the dragon slayer in front of her.

The demon threw back his head and laughed. "Another one? You mages just don't seem to learn do you?" He raised his hand again in an effort to siphon the newcomer's magic…Wait.

She laughed darkly, "You feed on Ethernano that is present in the body of mages. However, you are mistaken." She opened her arms outwards, invitingly. "I have none present my body."

The eyes of the demon widened. "How?"

"How?" she repeated with a dark smile. "Why my power comes straight from the skies itself. As a being that is one with nature I don't need such measly things such as Ethernano."

The demon's face darkened into a snarl, but it suddenly turned into a smile as if he noticed something. "Lady, you've got quite an interesting mark there."

She snarled, her eyes widening.

"I've seen it before. Different from this one and definitely less powerful. But nonetheless. It's a slave's collar isn't it," he grinned while provoking her. She could hear herself growling at the demon.

The demon's demented smile grew wider. "I guessed right didn't I?" His head turned to face the dragon slayer who was still kneeling on the ground, refusing to topple over from exhaustion. "And seeing your previous reluctance to help this one here, dare I say he's your slaver?"

Her eyes narrowed in his direction.

"Bingo!" The demon gave her a victorious grin. "How about you and I strike a deal then?" He grabbed Laxus' hair and pulled his head back, exposing his neck and earning him a grunt. "You let me feed on this lovely mage here." His clawed hand rested just below Laxus' neck. "And when he dies you are set free. Then we can both go on our own lovely ways."

She stared intensely at the two in front of her. She could her the shouts from behind her pleading her to save their leader. The dragon slayer on the other hand stayed quiet. Only choosing to stare back at her. There was no fear in his eyes. Only determination. She could tell he was still trying to struggle, but to no avail.

"Hehe I'll take your silence as agreement then." The demon started lowering his fangs to Laxus' neck.

"Stop please!" Evergreen pleaded, turning her head up towards the dragoness who was still standing by her. "Please help Laxus!"

She looked down at the brown haired woman. "Why?"

"Because he's your nakama! And nakama protect each other!"

"I have no nakama," she answered coldly.

"Yes you do. We ARE your nakama," Bickslow insisted. "And so are the people back at the guild."

She shook her head, trying to get the thoughts of the guild out of her mind. "Nakama serve no purpose. They will only leave you. You right now are a prime example." She could see the life slowly draining from their eyes.

Freed's eyes widened as the demon broke skin. "Yes, you are right." Her eyes immediately locked onto his. "But that doesn't have to be today. The point of having nakama is so that we can be strong together. To protect each other. As humans we can't look too far into the future or else we risk missing the present. We will all eventually die and leave each other, yes. But until then, we will fight alongside our nakama so we can reach that future! And it should be the same for you!"

His words stuck deep within her, reminding her of what the pink-haired dragon slayer had said to her when they had first met. _Think of the present…_

Her eyes darted back forward. The demon's fangs had already sunk into the dragon slayer's neck. She could feel the mark lifting itself off of her neck. She looked down to see it slowly fading. This could be it. She could be free...

Then her mind started drifting back to the events of the past month. Her encounters with the guild members, meeting and attacking the dragon slayer, going on that job with Levy, having that fight with Erza, Gray and…Natsu. Laughing... Smiling...

"Please!" The Raijinshuu shouted around her.

She held her hands to her head as the memories and their voices penetrated her mind. Electricity started to surround her as she grew increasingly agitated.

 _Why are you defending this monster? – Because she isn't one!..._

 _Ryuu onee-san! Let me help you!..._

"Please save him!"

 _Ryuu-san! Where have you been?! We were worried!..._

 _Don't be silly Happy. She's our nakama now!..._

Nakama…

" _Yay! We're nakama now!" the tiny blonde exclaimed happily. Her voice was soft and her smile was wide and inviting as the little girl hugged her tightly. She looked forward to see the smiles of the three men watching the exchange. Nakama…that sounds nice._

"PLEASE!"

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. The lightning surrounding the dragoness dispersed in a large shockwave, striking all those around her. The Raijinshuu closed their eyes expecting to be electrocuted, but surprisingly the lightning simply passed through them. They quickly looked towards Laxus and the demon.

The demon recoiled backwards in pain, his fangs leaving Laxus' neck. His head immediately fell forward when it was released.

She shook, still holding her hands to her head. Sparks of electricity still radiated from her body. "I don't have nakama," she stated coldly. She threw her hands back to her side, her eyes blazing with unknown feelings.

She kept repeating that to herself as she stepped closer and closer towards the dragon slayer and the demon. Thunder clouds rolled in overhead. The clearing darkened and lightning flashed in the sky.

"I don't have nakama," she repeated once more. "But." A large lightning bolt suddenly struck down, enveloping the dragon slayer. The Raijinshuu screamed in the background.

"This one. Is mine to kill," she snarled at the demon. She looked towards the dragon slayer, who still had his head down. Residual electricity was still arcing through his body.

Suddenly in one swift motion Laxus had turned and delivered a punch straight into the demon, causing him to fly backwards, crashing into the ground as he landed.

"Laxus!" the Raijinshuu shouted in relief. He was alive!

The dragon slayer looked at her intensely before giving her a smirk as he stood.

"Thanks for the snack Sunshine."

She stared at the dragon slayer before looking down at her collar. The dark inky mark was just as bold as before. It was as if the image of it fading was just from her imagination… But she didn't find herself regretting her decision. Why… Because these people were her friends? Ridiculous. That can't be it.

"It's not over," she said, coldly.

The demon sat up from the ground, enraged. "Enough!" The demon suddenly burst out of its child-like body, revealing its true form. What was once a small boy was now a large beast, towering 20 feet into the air. Its body was dark and enveloped in shadow as it stood on its two hind legs. It had two large horns protruding from its head and a large tail made of shadow. Its deafening roar shook the mountains.

A balrog was it? She watched as the sky darkened further as the beast prepared to charge. However, she had no intention to move. She had done enough for today. But she found herself offering one last piece of advice.

"Dragon slayer," she said, catching his attention. "You should now be able to use magic." Her eyes never left the beast. "Too much of its own power is being used to keep this form, so it won't be able to absorb your magic. But beware. Its defense will have improved significantly."

Laxus gave her a nod, before staring back towards the beast. He took a quick survey of their surroundings. They were close to the cliff. If he was able to hit it hard enough and then knock it off the cliff, the fall should finish it off…

The beast charged.

Laxus looked once more at the dragoness. She had given him a second chance today, he wasn't going to waste it. He had to protect his family. Fueling all his feelings and rage together, he went for one final blow. Transforming his own body into lightning he charged forward himself, colliding into the beast. The blow sent the beast flying backwards with a roar, with Laxus following suit. He noted when the beast was over the cliff and made a move to stop himse-

Laxus grunted as the beast's large hand came around and grabbed him, crushing him within its grasp. His eyes widened as he saw that they were both starting to fall into the large chasm below. _Shit._ He had used all of his remaining magic with that one hit. He could feel himself slowly losing consciousness...

"Laxus!" The Raijinshuu helplessly watched as their leader fell over the cliff. They tried to move, but they were still unable to conjure enough strength in their muscles. They glanced at each other in panic, before looking back towards the cliff. Just in time to watch as the dragoness dove over the edge.

She didn't know why she did it. It definitely wasn't because she felt some sort of attachment to the dragon slayer now that she had saved him. And it also wasn't because they had all called her their nakama. Her legs just seemed to have betrayed her and moved all on their own.

Somehow she found herself diving over the cliff, following the beast and the now unconscious dragon slayer. She tucked her body in together to speed herself up until she was level with the dragon slayer. She looked downwards, judging the distance of the fall. She didn't have enough time to pry him out. She quickly conjured up a large sword in her right hand and slashed through the fingers that were imprisoning the blonde man. The demon let out a cry of pain as he let go of the man.

They were still free-falling. Her face scrunched as she realized what she needed to do. Hesitating for another moment, she let go of her sword and reluctantly grabbed hold of the man in front of her as they continued to fall. His arms fell over her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around his torso. After making sure he was secure, she called upon her wings. As soon as they emerged she could feel them slow down. She flapped her wings in order to bring them back up when-

She let out a cry of pain as she felt something latch onto her ankle, suddenly pulling them down further with more speed. She looked down, realizing the shadow tail of the beast was now wrapped around her foot. It seemed as if he wanted them to go down with him. Her wings strained under all the added weight, but she couldn't risk dropping the dragon slayer now. She sucked in a breath as she realized what she needed to do.

Laxus could smell the familiar scent of wild lightning and smoke as he slowly came to consciousness. His mind took a while to realize that he was currently embracing the dragoness…and that they were still falling at high speeds down the chasm. His eyes widened in panic. His head pulled back and his eyes locked onto hers. Weirdly enough, her eyes held a look of amusement and gave him a sly smile, before tightening her hold on him. Suddenly he felt himself being lifted away from her body then-

"What the fuck?!" He yelped as he was flung upwards with great speed. Did she just throw him?! He looked downwards, watching as she continued to fall, while he himself was quickly reaching the top of the cliff. He grunted in pain as he collided with the ground, sliding a couple of feet before he stopped.

Freed saw him first. "Laxus!" he shouted in relief. "You're alive!"

The other two members of the Raijinshuu also let out a breath of relief. It felt as if a great weight lifted off their chest as they saw their leader in one piece. Then Evergreen noticed something. "Laxus, where's the dragon girl?"

Laxus flinched as he turned his head towards the cliff. He watched as his teammates all turned towards the cliff solemnly. He tightened his hand into a fist as he realized that she had saved him not once but twice today and yet he was unable to do anything as she was pummeling down the chasm with a demon attached to her foot. He prayed she would come out of this safely.

She felt the pain through the mark as the dragon slayer landed on the ground. She didn't notice the small smile she made after realizing he was safe. She turned her attention back towards the demon, who was still very much alive. She grew annoyed as it tried to swipe at her, but to no avail. It was time to finish this.

Lightning crackled in her right hand as she called forth a long spear. Pulling her arm back, she burst forward and stabbed the spear straight into the demon's heart. The sound of its pained roar was drowned out by the massive crash as they finally impacted with the floor of the chasm.

Laxus lifted his head as he heard the loud explosion from over the cliff. The mountains shook and the birds flew from the trees. He looked up from where he laid to see the dark clouds rolling away to reveal the sun once more. Did that mean the demon was dead? He turned to stare at the cliff in worry. Where was that damned dragon?

The dust lifted to reveal the dragoness standing triumphantly on demon's chest with her spear still lodged in its heart. After a few moments, the demon slowly dissipated in a cloud of shadow, leaving no trace of its existence behind. Her eyes followed the trails of shadow as they disappeared around her. Her eyes narrowed.

It was a demon from the Books of Zeref. Its scent practically gave it away, it smelled like his black magic. This one was new, she had never seen it before. But it was not powerful enough to warrant its own Book. Her brows furrowed. What was it doing here?

She stood there contemplating this for a couple moments more before remembering those on top of the cliff. They probably needed medical attention…

Laxus grew worried as minutes passed and there was still no sign of the dragoness. Where was she? Did she get injured from the fall? Did she need help? Suddenly he heard the flapping of wings and the dragoness emerged over the cliff moments later. Laxus let out of sigh of relief. When had he grown this concerned over her?

She landed on the edge of the cliff, letting her wings disappear in a flash of lightning. Slowly she walked across the clearing to stand before the dragon slayer. She studied him for a moment before bending down about to lift him up, but he seemed to sense what she was trying to do.

"Help them first," he said, his voice hoarse.

She looked across the clearing towards the three humans lying unconscious on the ground. She gave him a nod before walking over to them. She stared at the three mages...her nakama…? She shook her head to get those thoughts out of her brain. Nonsense. Regardless, she gathered them together, making sure to be touching all three of them. She hadn't teleported since she had received the mark, but she had confidence that it was within the limits that the mark set upon her. It only seemed to limit her offensive powers. She sensed that she was brushing close to her limits today, but thankfully she hadn't needed to push past them. Closing her eyes, she envisioned the guild as she felt the lightning surround her. In a flash they disappeared from the clearing.

* * *

Makarov was happily sipping on a mug of beer in his office when in a sudden clap of thunder the dragoness appeared in front of them. Almost dropping his beer, his eyes widened in shock when he saw his three children unconscious on the floor. He was about to express his concern, but she immediately disappeared again in a flash of lightning. He quickly called out to Mira and Wendy to escort the three mages to the infirmary. But where was his grandson?!

* * *

Laxus was staring calmly at the sky when he heard her return. His body too exhausted to move, he could only turn his head to watch as she approached him. She stopped when she stood in front of him, her back to the now setting sun. He found himself momentarily mesmerized as he stared at the female before him. Her golden hair had blended into the colour of the sunset as it gently flowed behind her with the evening breeze. Her soft heart shaped face, framed by her bangs, was illuminated by the orange-yellow sky and her eyes seemed to glow a soft gold as his eyes locked onto hers.

He found himself noting that the dragoness lived up to the nickname he had given her. In that moment, she really did look like the sun…

She stared down at the dragon slayer for a couple of moments before giving him a smirk.

"You owe me one."

Laxus chuckled, feeling his strength leave him, "Ya. I do."

She grunted as she lifted the dragon slayer up onto her shoulders. She caught the musky smell of a sweet summer storm as his scent drifted over her. She couldn't deny that it wasn't unpleasant as she inhaled it.

"I'm still going to kill you."

She could feel his smile in the crook of her neck.

"I know."

Lightning gathered around the two as they quickly disappeared from the clearing.

* * *

Mira and Elfman had just carried his three children into the infirmary, when Makarov once again heard the loud clap of thunder in his office. As expected, he turned around to see the dragoness. He let out a breath of relief when he saw his grandson draped over her shoulders. Makarov frowned when she unceremoniously dropped him to the floor. Laxus groaned as he hit the ground.

She caught the inquisitive look the old man gave her after she dropped the dragon slayer.

"This doesn't mean anything."

The old man only smiled.

"Where are you going?" Makarov asked as he saw that the dragoness was once again cloaked in electricity.

She held up the folded up job flyer that she stole from the dragon slayer's pocket.

"To claim my reward of course," she smirked.

"As a job claimed by Fairy Tail, the client will only give their reward to those bearing our insignia," Makarov informed.

"That," she sid as she turned to leave. "Will not be a problem." She disappeared once again in a flash of lightning, leaving Makarov wondering what she meant. Was she going to threaten the client? He inwardly groaned at the complaints he was going to get.

Makarov turned towards his grandson when he heard his chuckle from the floor.

"Gramps. She saved us today," Laxus said with an odd smile on his face.

Makarov smiled in return.

"And so she did."

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter took surprisingly more work and time to write than I thought. As such, it's kinda long. Once again thanks for all the reviews/favourites/follows! Hope you guys like this chapter. Things will continue to pick up from here.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	9. Arc I-9: Who are you?

**Chapter 9**

To say she was bored was an understatement. She had spent the entire day holed up at the guild waiting for the dragon slayer to get emitted from the infirmary. Apparently after three days, he and his bodyguards were recovered enough to go home. Right now she was sitting with Lucy and Erza at one of the guild tables. In her boredom, she found herself recalling the events from four days ago.

She had come so close to freedom. But she threw it all away in a moment of weakness.

Lucy and Erza were completely flabbergasted when the dragoness suddenly began uncharacteristically hitting her head against the guild table. When they asked her what was wrong she only groaned and banged her head even more.

Her head was plastered to the table when she heard his deep voice behind her.

"What the hell are you doing?" His voice sounded amused.

She looked up from the table, seeing the dragon slayer now standing next to the table.

"Ah...you're stiil alive," she said disappointed.

Laxus felt his eyebrow twitch when he heard the disappointment laced in her words. He looked up to see Lucy and Erza's pitiful gazes.

Laxus growled annoyed, "Come on, we're going home."

She glared at the dragon slayer, but obediently stood up to follow after saying her goodbyes to Lucy, Erza and Levy over by the iron dragon slayer's table. Honestly, she had been missing her own bed. She had spent the past three days at Lucy's house. Somehow that had become a 'sleepover' with the rest of her team. Despite its name, she didn't think any of them slept much during that time...

Lucy stared at the duo as they walked out of the guild. She was still kinda bothered that the only reason why she 'earned her name', which is what the guild now calls it when the dragoness starts using someone's name, was the fact that she simply introduced the dragoness to the shower...

Laxus found that their walk home was strangely awkward this evening. Their silent walks had never been like this before. Usually it would be filled with an overall hostile glare, or the dragoness would be insulting him the entire walk back. But today, there didn't seem to be any of that. In an attempt to fill the awkward silence, Laxus asked about her time spent at the celestial mage's home.

"I heard you spent the past three days at Lucy's house," Laxus started, breaking the silence. The dragoness turned to look up at him. "Uh…How was it?" Smooth.

She paused for a moment, surprised that the dragon slayer wished to talk. She debated about ignoring him, but after Bickslow had told her to try changing her impression of the dragon slayer she decided to play along. "It was interesting."

"How so?"

She contemplated her next words. "I learned many new things."

"Like?" Laxus probed further.

The dragoness thought for a moment, before listing all the new things she learned about her guild mates. "Erza really likes strawberry cakes. The blue neko really likes fish. Gray has an odd obsession with removing his clothing. Lucy has a very interesting undergarments collection-"

Laxus rolled his eyes, "Tell me something I don't know." He was pleasantly surprised to see her actually thinking about it.

"Natsu likes to sleep on Lucy's bed. At first I didn't understand why, but on the second night he told me to try it. Though sharing a bed with two others is quite uncomfortable." She liked to spread out when she slept...and then roll around.

Laxus' eyebrows were raised, "You slept with Lucy and Natsu?!"

"The fire dragon slayer is very warm," she simply answered. Laxus didn't know why, but he felt a little annoyed after she said that. "But Gray mentioned something called 'third wheeling', so the last night I slept with Erza and Gray on the floor. Gray on, the other hand, is very cold."

Laxus grumbled, "Anything else I've missed?" He was starting to not like this conversation.

"Ah yes," she started. Laxus grew tense as he anticipated her answer.

"I learned that pillows can be turned into weapons."

Laxus sweatdropped before bursting into a booming laughter. The dragoness stared at him in confusion. Did she say something funny?

"Sounds like you had a good time then," Laxus said, still chuckling.

The dragoness gave him a look before answering. "Yes…" She faced forward once more as she continued to walk.

Laxus walked behind the dragoness but leaned forward so that his face was next to hers. "You know, once you kill me, it won't be the same anymore."

She quickly turned to face him eyes wide, before jumping away. When did he get so close? She let his words sink in. She turned her head back to the side, away from the inquisitive eyes of the dragon slayer.

"Yes. I'm prepared for when that happens," she said. There was a hint of sadness in her voice, barely traceable.

"Because you don't have nakama," Laxus stated.

"That's right."

"That sounds kind of lonely doesn't it?" he asked, crossing his arms as they continued to walk.

"When you live forever, one day you simply accept the concept of loneliness," she simply noted.

They finally reached his house. Laxus opened the door for the two of them, making his way in. "Well when you realize that you don't want to be lonely anymore, the guild will always be there."

"I'll keep that in mind." She started heading towards her room. _No it won't. I've already tried human friends. It won't end well._

The dragoness was about to enter her room when Laxus caught her wrist. He saw her eyes widen as she turned around to glare at their connection.

Laxus struggled for the right words. "I don't say things like this often, but...thanks." Her eyes shot up to meet his, before she tore her hand back. She cradled her wrist with her other hand like his touch had burned her. "Thanks for saving us."

"That's only happening once," she warned. She pointed a finger towards him, eyes blazing. "There won't be a next time."

The dragoness turned into her room and closed the door. Laxus watched with a slight smile before doing the same.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure there is no next time."

* * *

She found herself unable to sleep that night. Sitting up in frustration she looked down at her hands before staring out the window into the forest.

 _Just a small snack…_

With that thought, she gently lifted her window, looking left and right as if expecting someone to be here. She then let her instincts take over and darted into the forest.

* * *

Laxus was woken up by a suspicious noise outside of his house. Quickly getting off his bed, Laxus quietly made his way out of his room. He took a quick look over at the dragon's room, but there was no noise coming through her closed door. Then he heard the noise again. It sounded like a scratch of some sort. Following the sound to his front door, Laxus slowly pulled open his front door warily, prepared for a potential enemy attack. What he saw was definitely something he wasn't prepared for.

The door opened to a naked, blood soaked blonde standing on his front porch. The pale moonlight overhead illuminated her body contrasting the deep crimson of the blood with her light skin and blonde hair. Laxus immediately recognized her as the dragoness. Her eyes held the same feral look from the night she had went into the woods, as she stared straight at him. Did she run out to feed again? Cursing, Laxus quickly dragged her inside and into his bathroom, her bare feet leaving bloody footprints on his hardwood floor. Similar to last time, she did nothing but watch him intensely as he cleaned her up, her eyes following his every movement. Cringing at the strong scent of blood, he noted with relief that there were no traces of human blood on her. There was considerably less compared to the last time she fed, which made bathing her much easier. Grumbling to himself the entire time, he dried her off after she was clean.

He led her back to her bedroom, once again holding onto her hand, but as they were nearing her bed, he suddenly heard a small growl. In an instant, Laxus found himself lying on her bed, facing the dragoness who was now straddling his torso above him. Her hands were placed next to his head as her face hovered right over his. Her hair draped over them like a curtain, trapping him so that all he could see was her. His eyes were caught within her wild gaze, making him feel like he was her prey. Which at the moment he probably was. His eyes followed as her eyes trailed down his torso, the fingers of her right hand quickly following suit. The combination of the sensations felt by the soft pads of her fingertips and light brushes of her damp hair as she sat up sent a shiver down his spine. One that she definitely noticed, given her predatory smirk afterwards. It didn't help that he slept in only his boxers, which had left his chest bare. It also didn't help that the heat of her naked core was currently right above his thinly clothed groin.

He could sense her sizing him up as her eyes swept over his body once again. Her fingers returned to curiously trace over his tribal tattoo, the soft brush of her fingertips followed by the sharpness of her claws caused him to hiss. That only spurred her on and earned him a toothy smirk, her fangs glinted in the moonlight that shone in from the window. She slowly leaned forward once again. Her head rested in the crook of his neck as she sniffed him. He could feel the weight of her naked breasts as they pressed into him, her nipples brushing against his chest. Sensing another grin against his throat, he felt the tip of a fang press against skin-

He flipped their positions with a growl, bearing his own canines to her in warning. Instead of fear, he only saw exhilaration flash through her eyes. Their positions now reversed, he felt the intensity of her gaze as she once again followed his every movement. He caught himself staring at that dreadful mark around her neck and on her collar. He traced a thumb near the bottom of the mark, where the two ends merged into one. Her resulting snarl let him know that this side of her hated the mark just as much as her regular one. He didn't like it either. The harsh darkness of the mark clashed with the soft paleness of her skin making it stand out in a way that was unappealing. it didn't suit her. He made himself move on, if only to end the growls that were emanating from her chest.

He soon found himself repeating the same actions she took, tracing a hand through the valley of her breasts and down her navel. His senses made hyperaware from her previous actions, he listened carefully for any reactions from her. Nothing. Slightly annoyed he moved his hand slowly back up her torso, stopping just below her left breast. He locked his eyes with hers once more as he moved his hand upwards, gently brushing a thumb over her hardened nipple.

Her breath hitched.

Giving her a wolfish grin, he dipped his head down towards her breast, to nip-

He quickly shot back up, eyes wide. What the hell was he doing?!

He looked back at her face only to catch her tongue peeking out of her mouth to slowly to lick her fangs. He quickly scrambled off her body and ran out of her room and into his own, slamming both doors in the process. He leaned against his the door, breathing heavily. After catching his breath, he looked down…only to notice the problem he now had within his boxers. Sending out a stream of curses, he made his way into his bathroom to 'fix' his problem.

She had turned to her side when she carefully watched him scramble out of her room. She continued to stare at the closed door with her predatory gaze for a couple moments more before her eyes gently flickered closed.

* * *

Laxus couldn't sleep. Even after 'fixing' his not so little problem, he found himself tossing and turning in bed as his brain replayed those moments. His mind dissected every moment, the way her soft golden eyes grew sharp with hunger as she stared at him. The soft yet firm nature of her round perky breast as he held it for that brief moment. The hitch of her breath as he brushed his thumb over her nipple. The sweet scent of her…wait. His brain replayed that moment again…and came to the conclusion that throughout that entire exchange her scent had not changed. Meaning, there wasn't a hint of arousal despite the change in her breathing pattern.

That minx! She was playing him! Deliberately giving him a reaction so she'd be able to see what he'd do next. And he almost fell for it…and he wanted to fall for it…No. No. He did not.

He decided to take out his frustration on the floor as he got up to clean the bloody footprints she left behind.

* * *

Annnd she didn't remember a thing. Laxus was sure of it, since he was positive that if she had he would've been murdered by now, mark or not. Laxus groaned as turned back around in his bed as he was once again woken up in the early hours of morning by an overly energized dragon. Given the fact that she had not killed him by now, he had come to the conclusion that she has no recollection of events that happen when she's in that feral state of hers. He filed that away in his brain for later.

Once again, the dragoness left for the guild early, leaving Laxus to enter an hour later. However, when he got there the dragon was nowhere to be found. He walked up to the bar where Mira was wiping down a mug.

"Oi, Mira. Where's the dragoness?" Laxus asked, leaning up against the bar.

Mira looked up a little confused, setting down the glassware. "Huh? Isn't she with you? She came in here an hour ago and grabbed an S-Class job saying that she was going with you…"

"What?!" Laxus exclaimed.

"Oh my, she isn't with you?" Mira's face looked panicked, her hand to her mouth.

His dark scowl said it all, "Mira…when did she leave?..."

"Soon after she came in…," Mira looked like she wanted to cry. "Laxus I'm so sorry I should've told her to wait."

Laxus' face softened slightly, knowing he was scaring the barmaid, "It's fine Mira. I'll go find her, and drag her back here. What job did she grab?"

"This one." She passed him a copy of the flyer:

 **Help! Wyverns!**

 **The city of Verona requests the extermination of a nest of Wyverns that have recently moved onto our lands.**

 **Reward: 20,000,000 Jewels**

"She was oddly fixated on this particular request," Mira said. "I wonder why?..."

"I'll find out," Laxus said. "Call the Raijinshuu to meet me at the train station as soon as possible."

"Hai."

Laxus turned to leave the guild, his coat catching the breeze as he left.

 _Verona…That's six hours west by train on the border of Fiore and Bosco. What the hell are you doing going there?_

* * *

She knew she was taking a great gamble when she ran off with the request. But seeing as the dragon slayer didn't command her to stay within the vicinity of the town, she was pretty certain that the mark wouldn't react to her departure. Her suspicions were proven correct when she left the borders of Magnolia within seconds of taking flight. Within ten minutes she had reached her destination. She'd have approximately six hours before the dragon slayer caught up to her. That's more than enough time.

The job request had caught her eye this morning when she passed by the bar. The city of Verona rested on the border of her father's territory to the west. Territory which now belonged to her. The city straddled her territory and that of the Fire Dragon King. But since the death of Igneel four hundred years ago, his territory had remained unwatched. As such, the wyverns who were once under the watch of the dragons moved in, taking over the lands. She normally didn't care much for controlling the wyverns in her territory as long as they followed her father's laws. However, if the job request was correct, these wyverns must have exhausted their resources within Igneel's territory and moved onto hers. Without permission. She had still been able to patrol her lands during the time she spent wandering the continent with Zeref. Especially when he had left her behind somewhere. But in the years of her slumber, they had remained unwatched. It was time that she corrected this oversight of hers.

After all, dragons are _very_ territorial.

But first, she had another stop to make.

The only noise in the area was the sound of her wings as she slowly descended to the ground. She looked up at the large castle that now stood before her. It sat right alongside a large mountain overlooking a beautiful green valley below. Time was not kind to its stone walls, causing certain towers to have collapsed. Those sections that were still intact were covered in large vines which had snaked up its walls.

She slowly walked through the castle halls, the sound of her heels clicking against the stone floor serving as a reminder of how empty the place was. Her hands brushed across many of its surfaces in solemn remembrance. If she closed her eyes, she felt as if she could still hear her own laughter ringing as she had run through the halls as a hatchling. That's right. For the first one hundred years of her life this had been her home.

It hadn't taken her long to find her father's study, where he kept all his logs of his territory. Her father had been very meticulous and kept track of almost everything. After his death, she had returned here to try and continue updating his work, but she had not been here in almost one hundred years which included her time of slumber. She flipped through her records. They may have been old, but true to her suspicions, there should not be any wyverns residing near the city of Verona. No wyvern would normally be bold enough to settle anywhere near the border. It's time for her to deal with the trespassers.

However, while she was here, she had one last suspicion to clear. It had been running in the back of her mind since the day the dragon slayer found her on Tenroujima. The lingering scent in his lightning had pretty much given it away, but until now she hadn't had the chance to truly confirm. She continued her walk deep within the castle until she reached two great stone doors towering several hundred feet above her. Despite her previous suspicions, she was still surprised to see the doors open. Doors which were closed the last time she checked and which required the strength of a dragon to open…

Immediately through those doors the atmosphere changed. She was no longer inside the castle; instead she was now inside a large mountain cave. Her true den. The cavern was enormous, large enough to fit multiple dragons should there be a need. The familiar earthly scent reached her, filling her with a sense of home that she hasn't felt in over a century. She continued on in complete darkness until she reached a small room. There was only one item inside the room. A pedestal. It was made to hold something small and spherical. But, there was nothing on top of it.

True to her suspicions, her father's lacrima was gone.

Her eyes narrowed and her hands tightened into fists, claws digging into the palms of her hands. She took one last look at the empty pedestal before leaving.

She will deal with this later. First she had some wyverns to drive out.

* * *

It had taken them six hours to reach the city of Verona by train. Six hours of torture. After taking a couple of minutes to steady himself, Laxus and the Raijinshuu headed out to find the city guard. They were the ones who had posted the job request and Laxus was hoping they would have further information on where his missing dragon went.

When they reached the guard tower they were oddly well welcomed.

"AH! Fairy Tail mages! We were waiting for you!" exclaimed the captain of the guard, sparkles present in his eyes. The rest of the guards also seemed ecstatic that they had arrived.

"Waiting?" Freed asked confused. "There wasn't someone else who arrived before us?"

"Before you?" The captain's head tilted to the side. "No no, you were the first! We are so glad that you responded so quickly to our request!" The brightness of his smile was blinding.

Evergreen turned towards Laxus, her face scrunched up in worry. "She should've been here six hours ago Laxus. If she didn't come here to report to the job, where did she go?"

"No idea," Laxus growled under his breath. This was starting to get annoying. He walked up to the guard captain. "Tell me about your request." Hopefully this man could give them some more information.

"Ah! Yes Yes!" The captain sat down behind his desk and began his story. "For as long as I can remember, we have never had problems with wyverns before. They've always seemed to avoid our lands."

"Avoid?" Bickslow asked.

"Yes! Avoid," the captain continued. "This is because our lands are protected by the Great Thunder Dragon!"

"Thunder Dragon," Laxus commented with a raised brow. His brain was starting to connect some dots.

"Yes! Thunder Dragon." The man's eyes seemed to sparkle at the mention of dragons. "You see, our historical records say that our city lies along the border between the territories of the Great Thunder Dragon and the Great Fire Dragon. As such, our city has been protected from the wyverns of both territories, since settling near the border may look as a threat to the other dragon.

The captain's words were often punctuated by dramatic arm movements and hand waving.

"You see, legends have it that the wyverns, which are lesser relatives to the dragons, were governed and protected by the dragons. But after the dragons were wiped out many centuries ago, the wyverns have slowly grown bolder, taking and devouring more than they were previously allowed to indulge in. However, surprisingly, this never happened within the territory of the Mighty Thunder Dragon. Perhaps it is his essence that still protects the land.

This story was starting to sound more like a myth telling.

"But! For some reason, six months ago, a nest of wyverns came in from the Fire Dragon's territory. At first we were willing to tolerate a couple of missing livestock here and there, but recently they have grown bolder. Citizens have now gone missing and we believe it is the work of those wyverns. We prayed for the wrath of the Great Thunder Dragon to come down upon them, but it seems that we were ignored. So we sent out requests for mages."

The way his man spoke gave Laxus the feeling that they were dragon worshippers.

The man got down on his knees, taking Laxus' hands within his. "Please Fairy Tail! Save our city from those dreaded wyverns!" Fat tears gathered in his eyes.

Freed immediately removed the offending hands from his precious leader. "Please don't fret. We will eliminate this threat from your lands. Would you kindly provide us with the location of the wyverns nest?"

"Yes! The wyvern's nest," The captain quickly got back up and pointed to a map on his desk. "We believe that the wyverns are situated in this mountain cave just beyond the forest next to the city." He pointed at the spots on the map. "It shouldn't take you long to reach there."

"Very well," Laxus said roughly. This guy was starting to get on his nerves.

"Thank you Fairy Tail!" The sparkles reappeared the in the captain's eyes. "Let me lead you out!"

They were exiting the tower when the sky suddenly grew dark. Thunder started rumbling and harsh lightning began coming down in an area to the north. It was in the direction of the wyvern's nest.

The captain of the guard shouted ecstatically, "It's here! The wrath of the Thunder Dragon! Our prayers have been answered!" All the other guards in the station cheered loudly as the all dropped to their knees staring at the sky.

The four Fairy Tail mages looked to each in worry before running out in the direction of the lightning strikes.

* * *

"So the reason dragon girl got all riled up is because these wyverns waltzed in on her territory?" Bickslow asked as they were running through the forest.

"Hmm. I believe so," Freed commented. "If what the captain said was true then the dragoness must be a part of the Thunder Dragon's territory. Which does match up with her element."

"So she wasn't even interested in the job request to begin with then," Evergreen said. "She only wanted to come out here to drive out the wyverns. Which is why she never went to report for the job."

Laxus stayed silent until now. "It doesn't matter what her motive is, our objective is to drag her back home." He was angry. Territorial or not, she had betrayed his trust by running off like that. They were getting closer to the strike zone where the lightning was. But they still haven't seen the sight of the dragon.

* * *

She had spent more time than she had thought at her old castle home in the heart of Bosco. By the time she had flown back to the city of Verona she realized it was midday. The dragon slayer will be here anytime soon. She spotted the mountains towering to the north, sensing that she was getting close to the wyvern's nest. That was made even more obvious by the not-so-warm welcome she ran into.

She was halted mid-air by a horde of wyverns blocking her path, hissing and growling at her. She was enraged at the level of disrespect they had for their resident dragon.

"You have quite some nerve to be hissing at me," she mumbled to herself, knowing they wouldn't understand her words. These were lesser wyverns, incapable of understanding human speech. She didn't have much time to think however, since they all decided to charge towards her at the same time.

* * *

"Laxus look over there!" Evergreen shouted as she pointed to the sky. Laxus looked in the direction the brown-haired was pointing in finally spotting the lost dragoness. He watched, noting that the dragoness was currently fighting of a horde of wyverns on her own. Lightning struck down all around her as the aerial battle dragged on. She seemed to be faring well until she was suddenly knocked out of the sky by one of the wyverns, falling to the ground.

"Shit!" Laxus cursed, running towards the landing site. The Raijinshuu quickly ran after their leader. Thunder continued to rumble overhead.

* * *

She was careless and arrogant. She had forgotten how much of her powers had been suppressed by the mark on her collar. Quickly kicking away a hostile wyvern she quickly rolled on the ground to avoid another one that had dived in to attack. She was getting angry. How dare these lesser wyverns attack her?! Who do they think they are? Lighting exploded in bursts around her. It was time she reminded them what she truly was.

Minutes later the Fairy Tail mages had found the dragoness standing in a large forest clearing dressed in black, surrounded by the bodies of the dead wyverns that attacked her. There were at least ten of them lying on the forest floor. Thankfully she still looked completely unscathed.

Bickslow whistled as he looked around the clearing. "Damn dragon girl, looks like you did a number on these ones."

She glared at them, her eyes full of residual anger. "What are you doing here?" When she caught sight of the dragon slayer, the image of the empty pedestal flashed through her mind.

Laxus felt his previous anger returning. He shot forward, pinning her body into a nearby tree. The Raijinshuu looked on in shock, but didn't move to stop their leader. "We're here to drag your ass back home."

She hissed at the dragon slayer, struggling against his hold. "I'm not done here, you can't make me leave."

"The hell you aren't. What makes you think I can't haul you back kicking and screaming?"

She stopped struggling, sending the dragon slayer a smirk. "Aren't you a Fairy Tail mage? You can't just leave a job unfinished can you? You still need to clear out their nest."

Laxus cursed. The dragoness took out that job not because she needed to, but as insurance for when they caught her, forcing them to finish the job. When did she get this devious?

"Fine," Laxus said through gritted teeth. "But we're coming with you."

She snarled. "I don't need your help." She started struggling within his hold again.

His grip only tightened further. "Look I know this is a personal matter for you, but this is our job now too. Just let us hel-"

"What kind of dragon would I be if I can't even defend my own territory?!" she erupted, breathing heavily. She didn't mean to shout like that, but this was her own problem to face. The dragon slayer seemed shocked at her outburst, his eyes widened and his grip on her loosened slightly.

She lowered her voice. "If I can't even handle protecting my own lands, I don't deserve to call myself a dragon."

Laxus sighed, "Then this isn't about helping anymore, it's about me making sure you don't run off after this."

She sighed, agreeing reluctantly. "…Fine." Only because she knew he wasn't going to let her go until she did. The dragon slayer slowly released his hold her, letting her step away from the tree. Brushing herself off she turned in the direction the wyverns originally came from.

"Their nest is this way," she said, taking the lead and following their scent. The other mages followed closely behind.

It hadn't taken them long to reach the wyvern's nest. It was situated inside a large cave on the side of a mountain right in the middle of the forest. The dragoness was the first to enter, her nose scrunching at the smell of rotting flesh, but when Laxus was about to step foot inside the cave he was suddenly blocked by a large gate, leaving both him and the Raijinshuu outside. Its bars sparked with electricity.

"What are you doing?" Laxus snarled as the dragoness turned around to face him on the other side of the gate.

"From here on out, this is my business. Don't interfere," she said, her eyes growing dark. She turned to walk further into the cave. With every couple of steps she took, another lightning gate was created.

"You know I can just eat through these!" Laxus called out to her, growling. She didn't answer him, opting to simply give him a wave of dismissal. Slowly she disappeared out of sight. Laxus let out a roar of frustration, bashing his fists against the lightning gate.

"Well, Laxus," Bickslow started, his tongue rolling out. "Guess it's time to start eating."

* * *

As she walked she slowly prepared herself for the battle ahead. She reinforced her normal set of armour, quickly adding a black leather jacket to her ensemble in a flash of lightning. The jacket effectively hid the mark from sight, knowing it would be devastating to show any sort of weakness here. She knew what she was up against. If those lesser wyverns had the guts to stand up to her, they must be backed by a greater wyvern. Perhaps even a Lord. Reaching the entrance to the inner cavern, she gathered up her hair in a high ponytail, secured by her long black ribbon. She looked back at the gates she had made. Based on her judgement, she would have fifteen minutes before the dragon slayer made his way through.

She ventured inside.

The inner cavern was large, dark and damp, quite characteristic of a wyvern's nest. The only source of light came from a small hole in the cave ceiling. The smell of rotting flesh she caught at the entrance was now twice as strong. Bones, belonging to both animals and humans lined the edge of the cave. As she walked she could hear the soft hissing of hatchlings, insulted by her intrusion, but they didn't dare attack. She was only steps into the inner cavern when a woman's voice spoke out to her.

"I was expecting you." Out of the dark shadows of the cave walked a human silhouette. She had a woman's physique, with long silver hair and piercing green eyes. Her body was covered in garments made of animal fur.

She inwardly cursed. As was her luck, this wyvern happened to be a Lord. Amongst the draconian relatives, only the strongest had the ability to maintain human form. In the past, only Great Dragons and their descendants had this power. For wyverns who had considerably less power than a dragon, only one in each territory had the power. Those who did were called Lords.

"You are out of your territory, wyvern," she warned, staring down her opponent with sharp golden eyes that glowed in the dark cave. "There is only one Lord allowed on my lands and that position has already been filled."

"You mean by that old geezer?!" The silver haired wyvern laughed. "He's too old to reside over such fertile lands. I think it's my turn."

The wyvern cracked a knowing smile. "Don't you think? _Hime."_

She growled, glaring intently at the wyvern as they slowly circled one another, attempting to size each other up. "That _old geezer_ follows the laws. _You_ and your nest have grown too greedy. Taking more than you should. Enough to warrant human attention."

The woman cackled, her head thrown back. "You've grown soft on the humans Hime, if you care about how many of them we're indulging in! Your father would be disappointed."

She snarled, baring her fangs. "Don't you _dare_ talk about my father." Lightning gathered around her body, sparking out in anger.

The wyvern smirked, "Had enough with the talking already?" The woman leapt back further into the cave, putting further distance between them.

"There's no more need for words, we both know how this ends," she growled.

"Yes, yes we do." The wyvern slowly began to lose her human appearance. Its fangs slowly elongated, while horns started protruding out of its head as it slowly morphed back into its native form. In seconds, a large silver dragon-like creature stood before her.

She entered her battle stance, her lightning swirling roughly around her body. They both knew how this would go. An ancient dance performed many times in the ages before her.

A territorial fight to the death.

Two ear deafening roars shook the cavern.

* * *

Laxus cursed profusely as the roars shook through his very core. The other members of the Raijinshuu looked to each other in worry as the cavern began to shake uncontrollably. Almost immediately after, they began to hear heavy explosions from inside the cave.

"Laxus we've got to hurry!" Evergreen shouted. That roar didn't sound anywhere close to the wyverns they had previously fought. It frightened her.

Laxus growled in frustration, "You don't think I know that?! She packed the rods so tight that eating through this is like biting through steel." After all this time he had only made it approximately half way. Laxus began to worry as he heard more explosions further in the cave.

* * *

She jumped out of the way as another large claw swiped in her direction. She sent another lightning strike towards the wyvern, but it only served to make it angrier. She cursed inwardly. Wyverns, unlike dragons, have no elemental powers. Instead they relied solely on their physical strength. As such, their defense is impeccable. Her lightning wasn't reaching through the wyvern's scales.

"Are you trying to belittle me dragon?!" The wyvern bellowed, swinging her tail around. She held her arms out to block and grunted when it sent her crashing into the cavern wall. She rose, breathing heavily. This wasn't going well. The mark suppressed too much of her power. Her lightning wasn't strong enough to break through the tough hide. She dodged another swipe as her wings and tail emerged in a flash of lightning.

The wyvern roared with rage. "You won't even show me your true form. Fight me seriously!" The wyvern continued to swipe and snap its jaws at her as she flew to dodge.

 _I would if I could._ She conjured up a sword, but once again it wasn't strong enough. It shattered upon contact as she tried to stab it into the wyvern's back. She wouldn't be able to fight this the human way. She needed to get stronger. She could feel herself reaching her limit with the mark. Any further and she knew there would be consequences…

* * *

Laxus was getting close. He broke through another gate, running towards the next. He could now see the action going on inside the cave. His eyes widened as he took in the size of the wyvern standing before him. It was twice the size of any other wyvern he had previously fought. Its large towering form made the human sized dragoness seem miniscule. His breath caught in his throat when he saw the dragoness dodge a clawed hand only to be caught within the jaws of the wyvern. Her cry of pain resonated throughout the cave as the wyvern bit down and she was flung into cavern wall.

She felt her jacket crack under the pressure of the wyvern's fang and it shattered completely when she crashed into the wall. She winced when she felt the blood running down her left shoulder as she stood up from the rubble. She was now left standing in her corset and pants.

When her head lifted she heard the sudden laughter from the Lord wyvern, its green eyes piercing through her. "That mark! Ahahaha! Oh _Hime-sama_ , how you have fallen. No wonder why you are unable to fight me truly. Where is you slaver?!"

She growled intensely, both in anger and in shame. "I don't need my full power to subdue you, _wyvern_." She sent another lightning blast towards the wyvern, but it was no use. It wouldn't penetrate its hide. She flew away as the wyvern's tail swept towards her, but let out a cry of pain as she was caught within the wyvern's right hand. She could hear the shouts from the humans near the entrance to the inner cavern. She was running out of time.

"Oi! Sunshine! Take down the gates!" Laxus shouted in panic. He hated feeling so helpless when one of his nakama was in trouble. Yes nakama. He didn't know when he started feeling this way, but despite how angry he was at her before, he couldn't stand watching her in pain.

The wyvern turned to look at Laxus with a sly grin. "Ah! Is this your owner little Hime? Maybe I'll eat him too after I kill you!"

Hime? Why was that wyvern calling the dragoness Hime?

She growled, but choked up when the wyvern's grip tightened around her body. "Leave him out of this. Your fight is with me." She turned her head to face the dragon slayer. "Stay out of this! I can handle this on my own."

That only caused the wyvern to laugh. "You? You're nothing but a piece of trash now! To think I was originally afraid of crossing the border. If I had known you would be like this, I would have invaded long time ago." Its grip continued to tighten around her, causing the dragoness to let out another cry. The only thing keeping her from being crushed was the armour she still had on her body.

"Dragon girl! Stop being so stubborn!" Bickslow shouted. The seith mage had never seen the dragoness this injured before. The blood from her left shoulder was continuing to flow down her arm as she stayed crushed in the wyvern's grip. He urged Laxus to continue to work through the gates. He only had two of them left…

"Enough," she said, her voice laced with a dark undertone. She closed her eyes. Her head hung forward as she stayed within the wyvern's grasp, her bangs covering her face. The wound in her left shoulder began to close up. Electricity began to gather around her body, growing increasing in strength. This time the lightning that surrounded her was bolder, harsher, and stronger. Her eyes suddenly flew open, pinning the wyvern down with her dark animalistic gaze.

This was her fight. And she was willing to do whatever it takes to come out as the victor. She felt herself bursting through the limits set by the mark, immediately feeling the increase in power. She knew she didn't have much time before it retaliated. She had to act now.

With one loud roar, she blasted the lighting shockwave throughout the wyvern's body, finally reaching beyond its scales. The wyvern roared in pain as it let go of her. Her wings immediately emerged to keep her from falling, but she didn't fly away. No. She stayed hovering in the air, right in front of the wyvern.

It was time to punish the trespasser.

The wyvern trembled in fear as it saw the harsh lightning swirling around the dragoness. This power, it wasn't within her before! "No…wait. Please!"

"It's too late to beg," she said, with a dark smile. Her entire body lit up as she released wave after wave of lightning through the Lord wyvern, penetrating deep into its hide causing its scales to begin to split open. The wyvern screamed in pain.

Laxus was had only one gate left as he watched the dragoness dole out her punishment in both a mixture of horror and amazement. But something felt wrong…

The wyvern had collapsed onto its back, smoke starting to rise from its body. The dragoness landed on its chest, right above its heart. She raised a clawed hand in the air and plunged it into-

Her claws stopped right above the still beating heart of the Lord wyvern when she heard the distressed cries of the hatchlings. Until now, they had been cowering in fear in the deep corners of the cavern. Now, they were begging her to let their mother go.

It was that one moment of hesitation that sealed her fate.

Her ear piercing screams suddenly filled the air as the mark finally released its punishment upon her. She collapsed as waves upon waves of pain were sent through her body. She could feel her power slowly leaving her. As she had forced her power beyond the limits of the mark, it punished her by slowly beginning to remove it all.

"Dragon girl!" The Raijinshuu all shouted in panic.

"Damn it!" Laxus slammed his fists against the final gate, horrified at the display.

The wyvern, seeing the dragon in complete pain, took the opportunity to rise up once again, knocking the dragoness to the ground. It laughed hysterically, crushing the dragoness underneath her clawed hand.

"You pathetic fool! You're nothing but a slave to human! To think a proud dragon like you would be reduced to a useless piece of trash!" The wyvern accented each sentence by grinding the dragoness further into the ground. Her screams continued to resonate through the cavern.

The wyvern lifted her clawed hand to deliver her killing blow when suddenly a bolt of lightning struck straight into its broken hide causing it to rear back in pain.

She looked up from the ground in shock as she saw the dragon slayer standing in front of her.

"Don't you dare touch her," Laxus snarled, his body covered by lightning. The final gate had suddenly disappeared while the dragoness was screaming in pain. It scared the hell out of him, knowing that she had lost enough power to the point where she couldn't even keep it up.

"Foolish human! Give up your slave! She's mine to destroy!" The wyvern shouted, its wings flapping in anger as it dove straight for the dragon slayer. "This territory is mine!"

Laxus growled, eyes blazing with anger. "She's not my slave." He sent a lightning punch straight into the wyvern's snout. Due to the previous damage done by the dragoness, the wyvern had already lost most of its protective hide, allowing Laxus magic to send it crashing into the cavern wall.

The Lord wyvern roared as it rose again, but was immediately held back by another string of attacks.

"Fairy Bomb: Gremlin!" "Baryon Formation!" "Dark Ecriture: Destruction!"

The Raijinshuu had rushed in as well.

Seeing them all approaching she tried to get up. "Leave me be," she croaked, struggling to get on her feet.

Laxus roared, "Just shut up and let us help you!" He sent another blast of lighting towards the wyvern. She stared at the dragon slayer in shock.

"Why," she whispered, on her knees.

The Raijinshuu all looked down at her, with a smile. "Because you're our nakama."

"Whether you want us to be or not," Freed said.

"Nakama…" she repeated, breathless.

The hatchlings that were cowering along the cavern walls, suddenly joined into the fight, rushing straight for the dragoness still on the ground.

"Raijinshuu!" Laxus commanded. "Protect the dragoness. I'll take care of the big one." He rushed forward again to deliver another lightning punch to the Lord wyvern.

"Yes Sir!" The Raijinshuu surrounded the dragoness in a circle as they fending off the attacks from the hatchlings.

She didn't want nakama. It'll only hurt more once they leave her. But these people didn't seem to give her the choice. They all wormed their way into her life and even though she hadn't wanted to, she found herself falling back to the ground, trusting them as they fought around her.

The pain continued to resonate through her. Her eyes watched as the dragon slayer fought back against the wyvern, delivering blow after blow. Her mind drifted back to the small room and the empty pedestal. She watched as the human who she was now certain housed her father's lacrima sent countless bolts of his lightning straight into the wyvern's body, causing it to roar in pain. And she watched as that man delivered the devastating final blow, defeating the foe that _she_ should've taken down.

Despite the victory cry from her 'comrades' all she could think of was how she failed. She watched as the remaining hatchlings all bowed down to the dragon slayer in fear. She failed in her duty as a dragon, unable to protect her own lands with her own power. So where did that leave her? Her mind drifted back to the wyvern's words as she felt her strength continue to leave her.

 _Pathetic fool…Useless trash…_

 _Slave._

Down to her last residual hints of power, her armour dissolved from her body, leaving her naked on the ground. Something soft covered her body before she felt herself being lifted. Her eyes glazed over as her mind began to shut down. She thought she heard voices around her, but she no longer cared to respond.

' _Little dragon…you must get stronger…for there's no room in this world for the weak.'_

Her vision slowly went black as she felt the last of her power leave her.

 _I failed._

* * *

Laxus' face held signs of worry as he looked down at the dragoness in his arms. She didn't even struggle when he had lifted her off the ground. She curled up against him, with one arm resting over her torso. He had covered her in his coat after she lost the rest of her clothing. He called out to her, but her eyes were empty and glazed over, holding none of the fire that he knew they previously held. He held her tighter as his worries heightened. This wasn't like her.

"I need to get her back to Wendy." The Raijinshuu nodded in agreement.

They began to walk back to the cave entrance. The dragoness suddenly lost consciousness as they neared the exit, her head tilting backwards and her arm falling from her torso. The tips of her long blonde hair brushed gently against the ground as her arm hung over the ground.

Evergreen gasped. "Laxus look!" She pointed to the area of the dragon's torso where it was previously covered by her arm.

Laxus looked down, before his eyes widened in shock. There, on the lower right part of her abdomen, right above her hip, where it wasn't there before…was a Fairy Tail stamp. It was black with a shimmer of gold that could be seen in the sunlight streaming through the retreating clouds.

"Who the hell are you?"

* * *

 _The smoke rose angrily into the air as she landed outside the dungeon entrance. She walked calmly towards the black haired man before her, who was still carrying the boy in his arms. Her eyes were dark and animalistic and held residual elements of amusement as she glanced towards the black mage._

 _"...I'm done." She didn't think she would like it...but she did. She enjoyed making those humans scream out in pain._

 _"Very well then." Zeref held his free hand out towards her. "Come." She quickly took his hand, looking up to her savior. They started to walk away from the aftermath of her rampage, the fire still raging behind them._

 _"Where are we going?" she asked, curious. "Are we going to fight the Dragon King right now?"_

 _The black mage smiled. "Little one, if you fought the the Dragon King now...you would die."_

 _She flinched. "So what then?"_

" _Little dragon…" Zeref began. "You must get stronger…"_

 _"For there's no room in this world for the weak." she finished for him. It was something that her father had always said._

 _"Yes. The weak will only be destroyed by the strong." His gentle voice contradicted the harshness of his words._

 _Zeref was right. She was weak. If she had been stronger she wouldn't have been caught by the humans in the first place. She had to get stronger..._

 _And she was willing to do whatever it takes._

* * *

 **A/N: And that's another chapter that took much longer than I thought to write. Not my most favourite since I don't like what I did to her at the end, but it felt necessary to move the story along. Don't worry though! Things will lighten up soon!**

 **Till the next chapter!**


	10. Arc I-10: My name is

**Chapter 10**

The first day she woke up she felt something soft beneath her as she slowly gained consciousness. Her eyes refused to open, but she could hear the voices surrounding her. They were speaking animatedly, but the sounds were muddy.

" _Gramps did you know about this?!"_

" _No my boy, I was not aware. Mira did you-"_

" _No Master, I didn't do it. Besides there's no colour like that for the stamp…"_

" _Then how?..."_

A soft familiar voice pierced through the haze. "Ah! I can answer that!" The voice was gentle, young and caring. She wanted to open her eyes to see her, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't.

" _First Master?!"_

"Hai! That's me!" She didn't care about the others, only this one voice. Why won't she wake up?

" _W-Why are you here?"_

"Ah…I was getting worried so I came to check up on her…" Her voice sounded sad…she was worried?

" _First Master, why does she have our stamp?"_

"Oh Sixth Master! I forgot to tell you?" Her voice sounded cheerful again…she had forgotten how easy it was for her emotions to bounce back. "Why, she's Fairy Tail's very first member!"

" _Whaaat?!"_

Right. How could she forgot? She was-is a member of Fairy Tail.

"Hai! Who do you think took our founding member's picture?" They had been so happy then. Before everything changed…

" _How did we manage to miss it? I'm sure that the stamp wasn't there before…"_

"Ah Laxus I'm not sure of that myself. She must have hidden it…" She had hidden the Fairy Tail mark on her right abdomen for quite some time now. It was concealed even before she went to sleep.

" _But why would she do that?"_

"I don't know…" She heard a sniffle. She had hidden it because she didn't want any reminder of that life when she had woken up. It was…too painful.

" _Ah! First Master! D-don't cry! Laxus! Do something about it!"_

" _What the hell am I supposed to do Gramps?!"_

She continued to hear the sniffling. No…Don't cry. She hated when she cried.

She couldn't catch the remainder of the conversation as she felt herself once again falling into unconsciousness….

* * *

The second day she woke up, her eyes flickered open in response to the brightness of the sun streaming in. She blinked a couple times before her pupils adjusted to the light. Almost immediately after, a mess of light blue came into her vision.

"Oh! You're awake!" She recognized that voice as Levy's. "Let me go get Wendy!" The blue then disappeared from her vision, leaving her with only the white of the ceiling. She tried to move her limbs, but they felt like they were being weighed down by mountains. She tried to smell-

She started to panic. Her senses! Why couldn't she smell anything beyond this room? What's happening?! Her breathing grew heavier and her eyes darted around the room trying to look for answers. Where is she? Why can she only hear the sounds immediately around her?!

Ah. That's right. The _mark_. She remembered now. She was being punished, because she pushed passed its limits. She…she was reduced to merely a human's strength now. Even though she could feel faint traces of her power slowly recovering, she knew that at this moment, she was powerless.

And thus…useless.

Another face entered her vision. "Ah! Ryuu onee-san, you're awake!" The sky dragon slayer…Wendy. "Let me just check…mmm…your physical wounds have all healed…" She tuned out after that. She didn't care for those hovering around her at the moment. It didn't matter.

She was weak. That was all that was running through her mind. She couldn't protect her lands on her own and ended up relying on humans to save her. Pathetic. What would her father think of her now?

A deep voice surprisingly managed to bring back her concentration. "How is she doing?" The dragon slayer? Why is he here?

"S-She's doing okay physically, but she doesn't seem to be responding to us. We've called Porlyusica-san. She should be here by the afternoon," Wendy said.

His face entered her vision. "Oi Sunshine. How are you feeling?"

Her eyes met his stormy blue ones, but all she did was absent-mindedly blink. She saw his brows furrow. "Oi, Talk to me."

But she didn't want to.

"Oi, Sunshine!" His voice sounded agitated. She felt hands on her shoulders before she was shaken furiously.

"L-Laxus-nii please stop! If she doesn't want to talk then we'll just wait until she does." Wendy's voice was slightly panicked.

The dragon slayer sighed, before letting go of her and leaving her line of vision. For some reason, her eyes tried to follow. "You're right. Sorry Wendy. I'm gonna let the Raijinshuu know she's awake. They've been worried."

"Okay," The timid voice replied. Wendy's face entered her vision once again. "Ryuu onee-san we're going to let you sit up okay?" She blinked.

She felt two pairs of hands slowly lift up her back, before shuffling her onto something soft. Her frame of vision now changed. She could see the sun streaming in from the left side. Also on her left was Levy, while Wendy now sat to her right. It seems she was in the infirmary.

She blinked. She could see their frowns on their faces.

"Dragon girl!" Three voices. The three mages now surrounded her bed, their faces also scrunched up in worry. They all started to talk, but she began to drown their voices out. She didn't want to listen.

A little while later, there was a new visitor. An elderly face with pink hair entered her line of vision. This one she's never seen before. She quickly yelled at all the humans to leave the room. Finally she'd get some silence.

The elderly woman sighed as she sat down. "I've never treated a dragon before. Though, I'd much prefer this over humans." She didn't understand, she was pretty sure this woman was human as well.

The look in the woman's eyes was soft. "The brats told me what happened dragoness. Despite what you may think, you did well."

That's not true…she failed.

"Such stubborn creatures you dragons are. Despite being entirely physically healthy, I can tell that you simply do not wish to talk."

The old woman looked down, towards her neck, before a frown showed up on her face. "I apologize, since I played a part in this as well. I was the one who taught the boy the binding spell."

She blinked. She didn't care about that anymore.

She felt her hair being pushed behind her ear. "Take your time. When you're ready to talk there are always people here to listen."

Why was this woman being so gentle with her? Her eyes followed the woman as she stood up.

"You might not know it, but the people here truly care for you."

After that, the elderly woman left the infirmary. Leaving her to be alone.

She had another visitor during the late afternoon.

"Rairyuu!" A loud one...Natsu. He was alone. "I know I'm not supposed to be here since Erza said you needed to rest, but its gotta be lonely here by yourself!" The fire dragon slayer continued to rattle on. He spoke about many different things, but once again she drowned him out. But then she found herself tuning back in when he mentioned his father, Igneel. It seemed he also sensed that she was listening again, as his voice lit up and he talked much more animatedly. She listened to the stories about the Fire Dragon King...about how amazing and strong he was.

Everything she wasn't.

Soon after, the fire dragon slayer was found out by the requip mage and dragged out of the room. Leaving her alone once again.

Her last visitor of the day came in at dusk.

"Oi, Sunshine. Mind if I sit?" She blinked, but to both his and her amazement she had turned her head to face him when she did so. "I'll take that as a yes then."

He started to talk. "Levy said this was the mark's fault again. That you are like this. Said it will take about two weeks for your power to fully recover." She didn't want to hear this, but for some reason she couldn't tune out his voice. Why?

"Your injuries should be fully healed by now, so I don't know why you aren't talking." She didn't feel like talking. She didn't have anything left to say.

"I'm sorry." She heard him whisper. Her eyes widened slightly. "Even though none of them out there blame me, I know this is my fault. And that's why I've made up my mind. I'm going to talk to my grandfather to fix this."

He will?

She heard him getting up before he leaned over her body. Due to his proximity, she could smell the light scent of a summer storm. She looked up into his stormy blue eyes as she felt him lower her back onto the bed. She couldn't tell what his eyes were saying as he stared intensely at her. "I won't let you be like this anymore." She heard his footsteps as he left the room.

What did he mean?

After her last visitor, she felt her eyes slowly close on her again. Slowly, but surely she fell asleep.

* * *

Laxus watched from the infirmary doorway as the dragoness fell asleep. His hands were balled into fists at his side. This was worse than the last time. It was like she had lost all the fight in her. He could tell when he looked into her eyes. They were cold…and empty. Like she had given up. Like hell he was going to let her do that.

Laxus stormed down the hallway to his grandfather's office.

Flinging open the door, Laxus startled his grandfather who was sitting behind his desk, "Gramps we need to talk. I can't do this anymore."

His grandfather looked at him with a solemn face. "You're right my boy, we can't."

A soft, but determined voice spoke out from the side of the room. "But there's another way."

Laxus' eyes darted to the corner of the room as he saw the First Master staring at her founder's photo on the wall. "First Master? What do you mean another way?"

Mavis turned to look at him.

"Laxus. How much do you know about dragons?"

* * *

When she woke up on the third day, her eyes opened gently only to meet with bright, green eyes that lacked irises. Within moments those large eyes grew...watery?

"GOMEENNAAASAAAAAIII" A childish voice cried out, before she heard sniffling.

Those teary green eyes backed up to reveal the soft heart shaped face framed by long wavy pale blonde hair that she recognized as familiar. The small body was currently on all fours on her bed, leaning directly over her.

She blinked back her shock and gathering her strength she managed to sit up on the infirmary bed. She leaned back against the wall. The childish looking woman looked on in concern while she slowly sat backwards. She couldn't feel the woman's weight though she was sitting on her lap. She stared at the pastel blonde for many seconds, before her eyes finally registered the woman before her as Mavis. She felt her eyes slowly focusing on Mavis' bright green ones, which had instantly lit up.

She took a deep breath, before sighing, finally deciding to talk. "...What took you so long?"

Mavis blinked at her before her eyes watered up again. "I-I.. GOMENNAAASAAIII!" The woman started crying out again, her head tilted backwards as fat tears leaked out of her eyes.

Her arms still felt like lead, but she lifted her hand to pat the childish woman on her head, despite knowing neither of them would be able to feel it. Her action calmed Mavis down, so that she was only sniffling. Mavis brought an arm up to wipe her tears.

* * *

Laxus was napping in a chair in a dark corner of the infirmary when he was suddenly woken up by a loud cry. Snapping straight up in his chair he looked to see...the First Master?! She was on the bed on all fours, hovering over the dragoness who looked like she just woke up. He was about to go and help her up, but it seemed as if she had regained enough strength to do so herself.

He had absolutely no idea what to do with the First Master's crying. He watched with a solemn face as the dragoness leaned back and stared blankly at the childish woman with that same empty gaze she's had for the past two days. Then his eyes widened. Slowly, but surely, light and recognition came back into her eyes. Within seconds, the First Master had accomplished what they had been trying to do for two days. The dragoness even talked moments later!

He couldn't hold back a smile as he saw the dragoness try to comfort the sobbing child. It seems as if the dragoness couldn't tell that he was here yet, so he leaned back in his chair and continued to watch.

"How are you feeling?" Mavis asked, still sitting on her lap and straddling her legs.

"Weak," she answered, her voice dry. "I feel like all my power has been drained from my body. I can't see, smell or hear anything farther than I can throw. Is this what being human feels like?" _Oi Sunshine, that's slightly offensive._

"To answer your question, yes," Mavis said softly. "But that doesn't mean you're weak." _Damn right. If it wasn't for you weakening the wyvern, I definitely wouldn't have gotten a hit in._

"Mavis, I couldn't even protect my father's lands on my own. What kind of dragon does that make me?"

"You don't have to do everything on our own," Mavis said softly with a sad smile. "That's what having nakama are for." _That's right._

She sighed. "Mavis...I can't do that again."

"Yes you can!" Mavis exclaimed. "You already have plenty of nakama here at Fairy Tail. Which reminds me..." Mavis' expression suddenly grew dark. _Oi, First Master. What's with the scary face all of a sudden?_

"Why did you hide your Fairy Tail stamp?!" Mavis' cheeks were puffed out and her hands were now at her waist. The First Master currently sounded like she was scolding a child. _Ah, yes. Pray tell._

She shrunk back suddenly, forgetting how scary Mavis could be when she got angry. She looked down, lifting up the bed sheets to glance at her stamp, black with a gold shimmer. Letting go of the sheets, she continued to look down with a sad expression.

"Because it hurt too much to see it, "she whispered. "The concealment I placed on it must have removed itself after I lost all my power." _Damn it Sunshine. Why do you have to look so sad?..._

The wing-like adornments on Mavis' head drooped slightly. "I see..." Her eyes started to water again.

She quickly looked back up at Mavis in a panic. "D-Don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry. I won't hide it anymore okay?" _What the hell? Why can't you be this compliant when I ask something of you?_

"Alright!" Mavis' face suddenly cheered up. _First Master...I can't keep up with your mood changes._

 _"_ Ah! I have something else to ask you." Mavis' voice suddenly took on a serious tone. "Did you mean what you said when you came to see me?"

She was stunned by her question, but she knew exactly what she meant.

* * *

" _Was she truly afraid of him coming_ for _me," she said as she slowly walked towards the sixth Master. Makarov's eyes followed the dragoness as she made her way across the basement room._

" _ **Or was she afraid of me returning**_ **to** _ **him**_ _," she said cryptically just as she passed the old man. She continued to walk out of the dark room, leaving him in stunned silence._

* * *

Mavis stared at her intently, waiting for her answer.

She sighed, "I...have thought about it." _What are they talking about?_

Mavis' eyes narrowed, her voice low. "He isn't the same person anymore. He's...dangerous." _Dangerous?! Who are they talking about?_

She gave Mavis a dry laugh, "He's always been dangerous. You of all people should know that."

Mavis looked at her with sad eyes, "Yes. I know. But lately he's stopped caring."

Her eyes widened. Now that was news to her. "When?"

"Seven years ago." _Seven years ago? That's when...!_

She sighed, "I thought I had felt his black magic outside of my den. He was the one who woke me up then." _Black Magic...?!_

"Yes. That was my assumption too. I believe he will be looking for you soon, if he hasn't already." Mavis' voice held traces of worry.

She looked down at her collar, her hand coming up to touch her mark. "...Is that why you did this?"

"Yes." Mavis admitted, her voice quiet before she cried out in protest. "But it was to protect you!" _First Master?! You were the one who told Gramps to get me to find her?!_

"You thought if you tied me to someone from Fairy Tail, that I would change my mind about finding him." _Looking for who?!_

"Y-Yes," Mavis stuttered. "I didn't want you to stop caring too..." _Stop caring?_

"Mavis. Did you know that he was the one who made me care to begin with?" Mavis looked up at her, shock evident in her eyes.

She continued. "For the longest time...I was a monster. I destroyed cities and killed humans…for fun." She let out a dry laugh. "Granted half the time I couldn't control myself, but regardless...I wasn't always like I was when I met you. Zeref." She paused, finally having said his name. "He changed me. Two hundred years ago, he randomly started caring again. And that was when I decided to try caring as well." _Zeref?!_

"W-well...I won't let you go back to being that kind of person again!" Mavis cried. She didn't want to picture her dear friend like that. To Mavis, the blonde dragoness was always so caring and kind, even if she didn't like to show it. "Zeref...If you go back he'll only use you!"

Her smile was painful. "That's fine. We have a deal." _A deal?! With Zeref?_

"A deal?"

She stared straight into Mavis' eyes with determination. "Yes. We made a deal three hundred years ago...to kill the false Dragon King, Acnologia." _Acnologia?! Sunshine. Are you crazy?!_

"You can't!" Mavis cried out. It had taken all of her power just to protect Fairy Tail from Acnologia's strike seven years ago. Even if she was a dragon, to face the Dragon King is a suicide mission.

"I can." She said. "I just need to get stronger."

"You are strong enough!" Mavis shouted.

"Do I look strong right now to you?!" She cried out hysterically, breathing heavily. "Look at me. I'm practically human! I-I couldn't even protect my lands!" She took a couple of breaths to calm herself down. "Mavis, I understand what you were trying to do and for that I forgive you for doing this to me. In fact, I appreciate it because you gave me time to think. But...I can't do this anymore." Her hand was around her neck, hovering over the mark.

"It hurts too much." Her voice sounded pained. _Sunshine..._

Mavis had her head down, her voice low but wavering. "I won't let you turn back into a monster."

She looked on with sadness in her eyes. "I don't like it either...but there's no other way."

Mavis' head shot up, eyes shining. This was it. She was waiting for the chance to bring it up. "There is another way." _This was what the First Master talked about yesterday._

She looked at the woman warily before suddenly realizing what Mavis meant.

"No." She refused adamantly, before shaking her head vigorously. "No way."

"But, it will give you the chance to be stronger!" Mavis exclaimed.

"I meant on my own Mavis. And certainty not with... _him_." She shuddered. _OIII. What's with that look of disgust?!_

"Not everything needs to be done alone. Together you'll be stronger than you could ever achieve by yourself. Think about it!" Mavis said excitedly. She had to sell this the right way or she won't bite. "You'll even gain the capacity to use magic!"

She gave her a blank face, looking utterly uninterested. "Why would I want to be able to use magic..."

Mavis teared up. "Y-you don't think magic is useful?" Sniffle. "I used magic..." Another sniffle. _First Master...you're evil._

She flinched, allowing herself to fall for the act.

"O-Okay okay. Magic is very useful..." she droned.

Mavis' face lit back up. "Seeee! Just give it a chance! Pleaseeee! For me?" Mavis put on the cutest face she had in her arsenal, staring up at the dragoness with large puppy dog eyes.

She sighed, knowing she could never say no to the woman in a child's body. "You know you'll need to remove this first." She pointed to her mark.

Mavis let out a toothy grin, knowing that the dragoness was starting to consider it. "Hai!" Here was the gamble. "If Laxus doesn't make the cut then you can walk free." _Thanks First Master…placing so much responsibility on me…_

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Reallly?" So if she doesn't accept the dragon slayer, then she'll be free to go…without the dreaded mark...

"Really!"

She stared at Mavis for a couple seconds more, contemplating the deal. "You know there's a chance he will die." _Heh. As if I'd back down just because my life would be in danger._

Mavis smiled, "I believe in Laxus."

She closed her eyes, sighing once again. "Fine."

"YAAAAY" Mavis celebrated with a dance on top of the bed. Hook. Line. Sinker. _First Master, I bow down to your powers of persuasion._

She smiled at the woman. "I've forgotten how much of a child you are."

Mavis' face puffed. "What do you mean? I'm an adult! We're practically the same age!"

"Haaa? I'm over four hundred years old. You're only twenty!" she argued.

Mavis pointed a finger at her as she stood on the bed. "The years you spent sleeping in suspended animation don't count and you know it! So technically you're only three hundred. Which means in dragon terms, we're practically the same age in maturity." Mavis smiled at her own logic. _Hah. So the dragoness is technically younger than me in dragon years. Filing away for future reference..._

She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Hai, Hai." She never really was able to win an argument with the tiny blonde. Bringing them back to more serious terms she spoke again.

"Twelve days." Her voice adamant. "I'll give him twelve days before we do this." That was when she'd regain her powers back.

"That's more than enough!" Mavis exclaimed. _Twelve days?! First Master you couldn't have negotiated more?..._

 _I have twelve days until I have to fight a dragon…_

Laxus continued to keep watch from his spot in the corner of the room, remaining undetected the entire time. He was surprised to see the myriad of faces that the First Master was able to illicit out of the dragoness. Most of them took to the form of smiles, which he had almost never saw from her before. He wondered what her relationship was with the First Master besides being the guild's first member. He found himself a little jealous over the First Master for being able to solicit those emotions from the dragoness. He absentmindedly found himself wishing that she would show those faces around him as well…

Eventually the dragoness lowered herself back onto the bed and succumbed to sleep. Laxus was about to leave the infirmary when he saw the First Master walk up to him.

"Laxus," Mavis said. "So you've heard everything that was said?"

Laxus' eyes widened. "Yes." So the First Master knew he was listening in the entire time?

"Then you understand how much is on the line. We cannot let her fall back into Zeref's hands."

He nodded. "I do." He didn't know what the dragoness' relationship with the black mage was, but whatever it was he didn't like it.

Mavis turned to look towards the dragoness. "She's very special to me. To Fairy Tail. Please help me protect her."

Laxus followed her line of sight, his eyes unconsciously softening when they rested on the sleeping blonde. "I will. I promise."

"Twelve days Laxus. You must be ready in twelve days," Mavis reminded him.

"That is more than enough time," he assured her, partially trying to assure himself in the process.

Mavis gave him a warm smile. "I believe in you."

* * *

" _Laxus. How much do you know about dragons?"_

" _Not much, honestly."_

 _Mavis walked to sit on top of Makarov's desk, softly swing her legs. Smiling softly she began her history lesson of the day._

" _Around four hundred years ago, the dragons ruling over the world were plagued with a civil war. Dragons were pitted against dragon. Why? Because there were certain dragons that wanted to coexist with the humans. However, many others were against the idea. From there, the civil war began. However, after a while, the dragons were at a stalemate. And so, the dragons who supported the humans did something that no one had expected. They gave humans the power to slay dragons imparting upon them Dragon Slaying Magic. Thus giving birth to the dragon slayer."_

 _Laxus looked to himself. He wasn't that kind of dragon slayer…_

 _Mavis continued. "True to their name, the dragon slayers helped the dragons tip the scales in their favour. However, some of the dragon slayers, corrupted by their newfound power, began to slay the very dragons that were on their side. Amongst those dragon slayers, there was one who murdered so many dragons and bathed in so much of their blood, that eventually he became a dragon himself. This was the Black Dragon, Acnologia."_

 _Laxus' eyes widened, "Acnologia?!"_

" _Yes," Mavis said. "Acnologia continued to slaughter the dragons, both for and against coexistence with humans and soon declared himself the Dragon King. Those who were left were backed into a corner. As a last resort to combat the Dragon King, certain dragons placed their complete trust in the dragon slayers closest to them, forming a bond with them._

" _A bond?" Laxus asked._

 _Mavis nodded. "A bond that, if mature, was so strong that dragon and dragon slayer together would have the potential to perform the unthinkable. Those dragon slayers who had formed bonds with dragons were later coined as Dragon Knights. However, Acnologia, having caught onto this plan, immediately slaughtered those Knights and their dragons before their bonds could mature, thus crushing all their hopes. Eventually, all the dragons were wiped out from existence. Or so it is said."_

 _Laxus finally absorbed what the First Master was trying to say. "Wait, First Master, you can't mean-"_

" _Yes. Laxus, I want you to become her Knight." Mavis said seriously, her eyes hard with determination._

" _The first Dragon Knight in over four hundred years."_

* * *

The next twelve days were considerably quiet. Her visitors remained the same and had mostly consisted of Levy and Natsu each coming in to tell her stories. With Levy, her stories came from the plenty of books she brought in with her. With Natsu, his consisted of personal retellings of his time with the Fire Dragon King. She found those stories most appealing. They reminded her of her earlier days with her father and when she marvelled over his might. Though, she did enjoy watching Levy when the iron dragon slayer, Gajeel as Levy kept trying to get her to call him, came with her as well. It was entertainment on a different level. The shy glances they kept giving each other when they thought the other wasn't looking were…endearing.

The only visitor that she did not have during those twelve days was the dragon slayer. She often caught herself wondering where he went, before reprimanding herself and asking herself why she even cared. Besides, if the dragon slayer knew what was good for him, he would be training like his life depended on it.

Her thoughts drifted back to what Mavis had convinced her to do. She tried picturing her own freedom after the cursed mark is removed from her body and she has killed dragon slayer. But time after time, all she pictured was the grief stricken faces of the guild members after she had done so. She couldn't control the way her heart clenched when she pictured it. After that she found herself remembering all the times she had spent together with the guild, in a very humanly, sentimental way.

She hated it.

She was supposed to get out of this and run. Even if she didn't go and find Zeref at least she would be free. Why was she so bothered by the thought of being away from these people? These people who only seemed to greet her with smiles…who have no idea who she is, or who she _was_ and yet were so accepting of her. This was like Mavis and Yuri and the guys all over again…

She sighed.

* * *

On the thirteenth day she awoke, the Master of Fairy Tail entered the infirmary. By that day, her powers had fully returned to her.

"We're ready for you," Makarov informed.

She nodded, before removing the white bed sheets and getting off the infirmary bed for the first time in fourteen days. Today she wore a black and gold accented lace corset. However, unlike all the other times, it was cropped, revealing her entire abdomen and thus her Fairy Tail stamp. She wasn't going to hide it anymore. As much as she hated to admit it, Fairy Tail was as much a part of her present now as it was in her past. From there it was her simple black pants with black and gold accented boots. Her collar and shoulders were bare, as always, revealing to the world her mark for the last time.

She walked out of the infirmary and through the guild with long purposeful strides as she followed the Master. But the guild was completely empty. She looked to the old man in front of her, but he didn't say a word, simply guiding her into the forest. They walked far within and soon the forest turned into a large clear valley and she then saw where all the members of Fairy Tail had went. In an enormous ring around the valley, the guild members all stood side by side, with only a couple of feet of distance in between them.

When she approached, they all glanced towards her with curiosity and amazement. Almost all were staring at her abdomen. Whispers of 'first member' and 'Fairy Tail member?' were heard as she passed by them and into the valley. As soon as she entered, she tuned out everyone else around her, focusing on the one man that stood in the center.

Said man smirked when he saw her.

"It suits you," the dragon slayer said, motioning to her stamp. "Though I don't think I've seen that colour before."

She looked down at the gold shimmer on her black stamp. "Of course you haven't, I'm the only one who has it. Courtesy of your First Master."

He gave her a grin, "You mean OUR First Master."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Let's just get this over with."

"So impatient, Sunshine." He chuckled, hands crossing over his chest.

"How about we reverse our roles then? I'll be Master and you'll be slave," she suggested with dark sarcasm.

"No." His voice lowered. "I promised that this ends today."

Laxus looked over to Freed, who nodded at him, before beginning the counter incantation to the binding spell. The old witch had taught it to him when he visited her just the day before. She had smacked him over the head with a broom before saying 'Finally'. As he chanted the spell, his mind drifted to what the First Master had told him.

" _Laxus, listen carefully. The reason why she's been fighting so strenuously against the mark this entire time is because you placed it on her when she had no means to fight it. I had miscalculated how hard her instincts would reject it."_

She couldn't help but watch eagerly at her own collar as she heard the words leave the dragon slayer's lips. True to his word, the mark slowly began to fade. Opposite from when it was applied, there was no pain, only a gentle warmth as the black inky marks slowly receded. It went backwards, starting from where the marks met at her collar and slowly fading upwards, unwinding itself until it reached the back of her neck.

" _Her instincts, unable to accept the fact that they had been bound without a fight, rebelled and caused her to react violently towards you."_

And finally, with the last couple of words spoken…it was done.

She was…free.

For moments, there was no action within the entire valley. All eyes were on the dragoness, wondering if she would suddenly burst into lightning of some sort. But the changes started from within. Almost immediately she felt the large surge in life force flowing back into her body, filling her limbs with strength. The air seemed to clear as if a film had been lifted off her senses. The wind picked up as more and more of power returned.

Then, the rest of them felt it. A sudden pulse emitting from the dragoness, similar to the pressure that can be felt from someone with intense magical power, but at the same time, entirely different. This was pure, raw, unadulterated power and it flowed off of her in waves. The wind intensified, causing her long golden hair to flow furiously behind her.

" _Which is why for this to work, you must fight to earn her approval. To earn her trust."_

Laxus' initial shock gave rise to awe as he watched the dragoness regain her power. He couldn't help but notice her eyes. He had thought that they were bold before, but they paled in comparison to the sharp gold they were now. Her pupils, slit like a cats, darkened with intensity.

" _Before the ritual can be performed to bond dragon and dragon slayer together, there must be a level of trust established between the two. In order to gain her trust, you must show to her instincts that you are worthy of the bond. This is an ancient test of strength."_

The wind died down after a couple of moments.

The dragoness suddenly broke down into laughter. It started off as a chuckle and built until it bordered on insanity. They all watched on in worry until-

"Well! That was fun," she gave a dark grin. "Goodbye now!" She made an instant dash towards the ring of people, hoping to run through them to her freedom. She looked back at the dragon slayer, but he made no move to follow her. Within seconds she knew why.

She was two feet away from where Freed and Levy were standing when she suddenly hit a rune barrier. Like déjà vu, words once again flashed in front of her.

 _No participant inside this enchantment shall leave until one has lost the will to fight._

"You've got to be kidding me," she cursed under her breath. "Let me out."

"My Lady, I believe you've made a promise," Freed reminded her.

She growled and her eyes narrowed, but surprisingly it wasn't in anger. "You know there is the chance he will die."

Freed nodded, but remained firm. "This time, I will believe in Laxus."

She looked towards Levy.

"Please Ryuu-san. Give Laxus a chance." Levy said, her eyes pleading. They all knew what this was about. The sixth Master informed them the day before yesterday. Knowing how destructive this match could be, the Master commissioned every single member to be here to support Freed's rune barrier with their own magic power. However, that wasn't the main reason they were all here. Every single person here was rooting for Laxus, so that the dragoness will stay with them. With Fairy Tail.

Laxus remained standing in the middle of the ring of humans. This was going exactly as the First Master had said.

" _There is an eighty percent chance that she will try to run. If so, you must challenge her. Provoke her."_

Laxus called out to her. "Oi, Sunshine. Running so soon? Are you afraid of a little fight?"

The dragoness growled, turning around with her hands curled into fists. "What?"

Laxus smirked. "I asked if you were afraid to fight me."

"Never," the dragoness spat. Bingo.

The dragoness walked back towards the center of the ring. Stopping in front of Laxus, she calmly pulled her hair into a high ponytail, once again held together with a long black ribbon, its ends left dancing in the soft breeze.

" _She will attempt to get you to back down."_

"Dragon slayer," she said, voice calm and steady. "Today you are fighting against a real dragon." The wind started picking up once again. "This time the mark won't be able to protect you. This time, I'll be able to kill you."

Laxus scoffed. "Don't worry about me, Sunshine." Lightning started to crackle around his body.

"You think you have what it takes to be my Knight, dragon slayer?"

"Oh, I know I do," he said with an arrogant smirk.

The dragoness growled in anger before pushing forward, her fist pulling back before she tried to make contact. Laxus calmly blocked the punch, though he noted that it held much more strength than he had remembered from the only other time she dared to hit him. First Master was right. There was no room for error in this. He had to stay on his guard or else he might actually die.

Another leg swung for his head, before he ducked, her shin narrowly missing his hair.

" _There's a ninety-five percent chance that she will underestimate your capabilities, opting to simply end this in a fist fight. You can't let her do that. You must force her to use her powers. To judge you with her own instincts."_

Laxus continued to dodge all her blows without retaliating, which only served to make the dragoness angry. That was what he wanted.

The crowd watched on, a little underwhelmed. They hadn't expected this to be a fist fight. There was no magic involved at the moment…

"Sunshine. If you keep doing this, we're gonna be here all day you know," Laxus taunted. The dragoness growled in frustration before throwing another punch, only to have her wrist caught by him. He pulled her in so that their faces were almost touching.

He purred into her ear. "You know, if you want me to win, you can just say so."

That did it. The dragoness suddenly burst into electricity, lightning crackling angrily around her. Despite his immunity to lightning, Laxus was forced to release her. She jumped back.

"You're going to regret this dragon slayer," she snarled. With a sudden crash of thunder, wings spouted out of her back and she immediately took flight.

Laxus' jaw dropped slightly as he took in her wings. They weren't made of lighting anymore. These were real flesh and bones as they spread almost five feet to each side of her. Her wings were a darker shade of yellow as they kept the dragoness suspended in the air. Her tail had also appeared, with scales of a similar shade, with a lighter flesh underside as it curled around from behind her.

Natsu gasped as he watched from the sidelines. All he could think about was how similar her wings and her tail now looked to Igneel's….

Her smile grew as she stretched her true wings out, completely elated that she could finally call them forth. She watched as the dragon slayer looked up at her, completely shocked. She wasn't kidding when she said she would fight him like a dragon. Well...almost.

Before Laxus could compose himself, she dove down in a spiral of lightning, crashing straight into him. He grunted as he was pushed back twenty feet, his arms up in front of him to block. _Damn that hurt._ He looked up only to see the dragoness once again in the air. His eyes locked with hers just as he jumped.

The crowd sucked in a breath as Laxus finally made his first move. Using his lightning to fuel his jump, he leapt towards the dragon in the sky, his fist now infused with lightning. However, she easily blocked his punch, before sending him crashing to the ground with a single kick. They were all shocked at the speed at which Laxus hit the ground, dust releasing up into the air as he made impact. She was on an entirely different level compared to when she fought with Natsu…

The guild grew increasingly worried as Laxus was getting beaten around by the newly determined dragoness. He couldn't keep up. Any of his blows were immediately deflected before he was subsequently blown back by her hands or her legs. Laxus made another attempt to strike at the dragoness, but she simply turned away before whipping her tail into his chest, sending Laxus crashing straight into the rune barrier.

She dropped down to the ground, head tilted to the side. "Hmm. Guess that thing can actually serve a real purpose." She barked. "Dragon slayer! Have you had enough?"

She watched as the dragon slayer rose to his feet, his head hung in front of him. When he raised it he was...smirking? Her brows furrowed as she watched lightning gather around him as he slowly walked back towards her. She was stunned. His entire body was covered in cuts and bruises by now. How is he still moving?

" _Laxus, you may not believe it, but you will have the advantage during this match. She, being a dragon, is used to her foes falling after a single blow. Due to that, she has no strategy when she fights, opting to fight solely on instinct. Use that to your advantage. You must use your brain in this fight."_

His entire body hurt like hell, but he managed to learn her fight patterns when she was beating him to a pulp. As he continued to walk back towards her, his lightning crackled around him, growing stronger with each step.

Erza, watching from the sidelines, widened her eyes as she sensed the magic power flowing off of Laxus double. She looked to her right, towards the Master.

"Master, is that?-"

"Yes," Makarov answered. He didn't look to have a single shred of worry, despite having watched his grandson being knocked around like a rag doll just moments before.

 _Second origin._

Laxus was finally getting serious. The wind picked up around him and dark clouds rolled in on his end of the field. He let out a roar, finally activating his dragon slaying magic in an explosion of lightning. His black shirt ripped to shreds as his muscles grew in size.

She flinched as she sensed the magic coming from the dragon slayer. What is going on?

She didn't get the chance to dodge as the dragon slayer suddenly burst forward at the speed of light.

"Lighting Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

She lifted her arms to block the incoming punch, calling forth a pair of arm guards. She gasped as they cracked under his magic, before instantly shattering upon impact. She let out a cry as she was knocked backwards.

"How-," she breathed as she stopped twenty feet back with her wings spread wide, her feet and one hand having dragged through the ground to stop her. She glanced up at the dragon slayer from her crouched position near the ground. How was this possible? She had never seen this power from him before. All this time, for the past two months, he had only been fighting with simple lightning magic?!

This...was the true power of the lightning dragon slayer?!

She didn't have much more time to think as he burst forward once again, his body enveloped by lightning.

"Lighting Dragon's Iron Fist!"

She only managed to dodge a millisecond early as she flew back into the sky. She looked back down, but the dragon slayer was no longer-!

"Lighting Dragon's Jaw!"

She let out another cry as she suddenly felt the strike to her back before she crashed into the ground. A large crater formed in the middle of the field from the resulting explosion. She struggled to rise to her feet. …How? What is going on?! She growled in frustration as she tried to fight back. Pillars of lightning came down from the sky as she called upon them to strike the dragon slayer, but he only avoided them with immense speed. The one that did strike only seemed to fuel him on.

The crowd looked on in utter surprise as the tables were turned. Laxus now had the upper hand, while the dragoness looked completely shocked, unable to block Laxus' attacks. Her armour had started to crack and she was forced to cut it down. She now stood in a cropped bustier top and a pair of dark shorts, both showing extreme wear and tear. Her feet were now bare, her boots having been lost after Laxus had blocked two of her kicks.

They couldn't help it, but all of the men were now practically drooling.

"Go Laxus! Keep stripping her down!" Makarov cheered from the sidelines, obviously happy with how this fight was turning out.

"Shut up old man!" Laxus shouted back. He may look like he had the upper hand, but he too was getting tired. This had to end soon.

" _You don't need to defeat her Laxus. You only need to make her instincts acknowledge you."_

This was impossible! Impossible! She continued to curse herself as she tried to find ways to turn the fight around. But it was too late. She could feel her instincts starting to step back from the fight, slowing accepting the dragon slayer.

After a couple more exchanged blows, she flew backwards, shouting. ""No…no no no NO!" She breathed heavily. They accepted. Her instincts accepted the dragon slayer. How was this possible?!

She was on her own now.

Letting out a roar, it burst outwards like a shockwave of thunder, pushing the dragon slayer back. The rune barrier wavered, causing the guild members to groan. Holding up the barrier was starting to put a strain on their magic.

She rose to the sky, lightning beginning to swirl around her like a angry tornado. The sky completely darkened as dark thunder clouds rolled in. The lightning gathered towards her, raging around her as her arms were held outwards to the side.

This was her last chance.

Releasing her power as she yelled, her hands clapped together in front of her. Her lightning burst forward, swirling straight towards the dragon slayer.

Laxus sucked in a breath.

"Lightning Dragon's…ROAR!"

The large lightning blast released from his roar collided with her raging tornado, fighting for dominance. Sparks crashed and flew at the contact site. She grunted as she struggled to stay on par as she held on, strong winds whipping around her. She looked on from above when her eyes suddenly caught bright brown ones below, staring back at her.

Levy…

Her eyes continued to sweep across the field.

Natsu…Gray…Erza…Lucy…

Bickslow…Evergreen…...Freed…

Then she looked down, catching determined stormy blue eyes piercing back at her.

She faltered.

Laxus' lightning roar suddenly swallowed up her tornado, quickly climbing up the swirls of lightning until it reached the dragoness.

She screamed as she felt his magic swallow her, smashing through the last of her armour. Her loosened hair now whipped behind her as his lightning magic shocked through her core. Her vision went black as she fell to the ground.

The crowd gasped as they watched the dragoness fall from the sky. The wind suddenly stopped raging and the clouds stopped rumbling as she crashed into the crater below.

Silence.

Her vision returned as she was lying on her back, her chest heaving. She stared up at the sky as the clouds retreated, allowing the sun to peak out overhead. Her wings and tail had disappeared.

"Impossible…" she whispered. She tried to get up, but she was immediately held back to the ground with two strong hands.

Laxus had instinctively pounced when he saw her attempt to get up and was now straddling the dragoness, his hands holding her down by the shoulders.

"Submit." His deep voice boomed.

" _She will fight you to the very end. You must force her to submit completely."_

Laxus watched as the dragoness continued to struggle underneath him, snarling. He caught her golden orbs with his own fierce eyes.

"Submit!"

Her chest rose up and down as she breathed heavily. Her eyes were unable to avert from his piercing blue gaze as she fought hard not to give in.

Laxus held her glare for a couple moments more, until her eyes closed. The dragoness released a sigh as her head tilted upwards, exposing the column of her neck in submission.

Laxus' triumphant roar could be heard for miles.

The loud cheers of the Fairy Tail members could be heard as they witnessed the rune barrier drop in front of them. After a couple of minutes their celebrations died down as they continued to watch the pair in the center of the field, having not moved the entire time.

"Umm…so now what?!" Happy asked from the sidelines.

The blank look on Laxus' face made the crowd sweatdrop. The First Master never told him what happened next.

The dragoness rolled her eyes at him before effortlessly flipping their positions. He was slightly in awe at the strength she still had left, before resigning himself to the fact that he really didn't defeat the dragon. But as he looked up at her, he realized that she had finally acknowledged him.

When he had first heard of this plan, he was furious. He had spent his entire life proving himself to other people as his Gramps's grandson. But as he trained and as he fought, he realized that he wasn't proving himself to her because he was Makarov's grandson. He was proving himself to her as a man. As a dragon slayer. As her equal.

And based on the look in her bright golden eyes, she had accepted him.

The dragoness sat straight up, her hair falling behind her. His eyes widened into pancakes as he finally realized her state of dress...or lack thereof. Having lost all her armour, she now sat on top of him naked. Right now he was glad he still had his pants on as her crotch sat directly on top of his own. Laxus couldn't help but stare at her neck, acknowledging just how much better she looked with her skin bare, now that the mark was truly gone. His vision trailed down her torso until it rested on her black and gold Fairy Tail stamp. The fact that she had worn it proudly today made him smile. Even though she hasn't admitted it yet, he knew she already accepted them all as nakama.

It seemed like the rest of the crowd also realized her lack of clothes at that moment as the men suddenly sported nose bleeds. Those who were standing behind the dragoness were now very jealous of those who stood to her front. Somewhere in the surrounding ring, Bisca's hands went to cover Asuka's eyes.

"Mommy! Why can't I seeee?" Asuka pouted.

"Hush, Asuka," Bisca whispered.

Somehow none of them could tear their eyes away from the scene in front of them.

The dragoness trailed her right hand over Laxus' bare chest until it stopped over his left pectoral, right above his heart. Her other hand grabbed his left one, placed it on top of her right hand and curved, signally him to grab hold. Then her left hand the grabbed his right hand and slowly brought it up. He felt his breath hitch as he realized what she was doing. Lifting his right hand in her left one, she slowly placed it above her own heart so that his hand was curved around and over the inside of her left breast.

Off to the side, Erza's face was as red as a tomato as she stood there shaking.

"W-What is she doing?!" she stuttered. Erza unfortunately had the perfect frontal view. The dragon's right hand was now on Laxus' chest and covered by his left one, while his right hand was on her b-breast with her left one on top. The nose bleeds in the field bled more intensely. Many of the men were instantly jealous of Laxus' right hand.

Neither letting go, they were now connected. She took a deep breath before beginning the ancient ritual, her deep golden eyes locking onto his. She spoke in dragon, but somehow Laxus found himself understanding her words.

 _I call to the light and the skies as a Great Thunder Dragon for permission to initiate the sacred Bond._

There was a light rumble in the air, but the sky stayed clear. She continued.

 _I accept the dragon slayer before me as my equal._

 _I accept the Bond as I connect my soul and my power to my Knight._

Laxus found himself repeating the words in regular speech.

 _I accept the dragon before me as my equal._

 _I accept the Bond as I connect my soul and my magic to my Dragon._

The dragoness continued as her gaze grew more intense.

 _Show your trust in me._

 _Dragon slayer. Gift to me thy name._

He spoke, his voice echoing through the silent field.

"Laxus Dreyar."

And for the first time, he finally heard his name spoken from her lips.

 _Laxus Dreyar._

He couldn't hold back the shiver in his spine as his name rolled off her tongue. The way her voice caressed his name made it feel exotic and foreign to him. He suddenly felt a small spark rush through his right arm.

Once again, Laxus felt himself subconsciously repeating her words.

 _Show your trust in me._

 _Dragon. Gift to me thy name._

The entire field held their breaths as they waited for her to speak. For her to finally reveal to them her name.

She continued to stare into his eyes as she fought an inward war. This was it. With this she would be connected to him as Dragon and Knight. Did she truly trust him enough to gift him her name? Unable to handle the intensity of his gaze any longer she eye contact and looked up.

Her eyes caught a lone human figure in the distance on the edge of the forest, beyond the ring of humans. She stood on a lone branch, her hand resting on the trunk of a tree. Her eyes watched as her long wavy pastel blonde hair flowed behind her. She held in a breath as memories flowed through her.

 _She was sitting on tree on the top of a hill overlooking the town. She watched from the distance as she saw their bright smiles and sparkling eyes as they looked up to their new guild hall in amazement. She didn't know why, but within ten days those humans managed break through all the walls she had put up when she met with strangers. Breaking out into a small frown, she noticed that one of them was missing._

 _Almost immediately, she sensed his approach._

" _Yo!" His voice reached her ears as she turned around to face the blonde haired man._

" _Yuri."_

" _Ugh, why are you always up here? I never understand why you don't just join us whenever you come back," Yuri complained to her. "Besides. Why were you gone so long this time? You practically missed the whole construction. You could've helped you know!" His face puffed in mock frustration._

 _She laughed, "I didn't want to bud in your little founder's celebration."_

" _Haa? What are you talking about? You're a part of it," Yuri exclaimed. "Come onnn. We're all waiting for you."_

 _Sighing, she jumped down from the tree, landing next to the blonde man. "Fineee."_

" _Great!" Yuri smiled at her before it turned into a smirk. "And, for punishment for not helping us build the guild, you're not going to be a founding member."_

 _She laughed as she placed her hands on her hips. "Reallyyy. Hmm. That's fine then. I'll just watch from here then!"_

 _She turned to walk back towards her tree._

" _Ah…ugh…wait!" Yuri shouted, before she heard him running after her. He grabbed her shoulders, turning her around. "Instead, you're going to be our very first member!"_

 _She twisted her face so it looked like she was contemplating, "Mmm…"_

" _Pleassssse oh mighty dragon. It would be a great honor to have you as our first member," he pleaded with mock sarcasm, his hands pressed together in front of him._

" _Well…when you beg like thaaat…Okay." she said with a smile._

 _Yuri laughed. "Great! Well first things first. We can't have you on our members list without a name."_

 _Her smile dropped._

 _His face turned serious. "Dragon…what's your name?"_

 _She hesitated, her eyes dropping to the ground. "Uh…"_

 _She felt his hands leave her shoulders. "Don't you trust me? Don't you trust us?" His voice felt hurt._

 _She stayed silent. She could feel his somber gaze upon her. He turned around to leave-_

 _She suddenly grabbed onto his wrist, looking back up at the blonde man in front of her. His head whipped around in shock. "Umm! My name…My name is…"_

 _My name is…_

Her eyes, large, green and irisless gazed softly back into her own, recognizing her internal struggle.

" _Oh! You don't have a last name?" Her soft voice reached her ears._

 _She replied, confused. "Why would I need a last name? I'm a dragon."_

" _Aww…that's no excuse for not having one!" Mavis' hands were at her hips. "Hmm…Ah! I know what!" Mavis smiled brightly. "You can just use mine!"_

She saw Mavis' smile from her place in the tree, urging her to take the leap of faith. She closed her eyes and let out her breath, suddenly felt the strength to continue. She looked back down at the dragon slayer who had been patiently waiting.

 _My name is…_

It was barely a whisper as it was meant just for him, but Laxus heard it as clear as day.

 _My name is…_

"Leora Vermillion."

* * *

" _Umm! My name…My name is…Leora," she whispered._

" _Leora..." He repeated, before his face broke out into a huge grin. "It's beautiful."_

 _She jolted. "Thanks…"_

" _Leora…like the light from the sun." Yuri said. His other hand lifted to gently pick up a lock of her golden hair. "It suits you."_

 _She smiled wide. They stayed like that for a couple more moments before his arm slipped upwards so that his hand could grab onto hers._

" _Come on! You've got to tell the others!" Yuri shouted with a grin as he pulled her down the hill, running._

 _She laughed, carefree, as she followed him down. It didn't take them long to reach the front of the newly built guild. The others waved at them as they approached._

 _Yuri let go of her hand as reached them. He was panting, out of breath. "Guys! Guess what?! I've found our first member!"_

 _They all laughed as it was obvious._

" _We're finally all here! Let's take a photo!" Mavis exclaimed._

 _She smiled. "Let me take it. You'll have one for just the founding members."_

" _Haa? Yuri, I thought we agreed that we were all going to be founding members." Warrod commented._

" _Heh. It's her punishment for not helping us construct the guild!" Yuri retorted with a laugh. "Besides. We have to have a first member!"_

 _They all looked at each as it did make sense to them. She reassured them that it was fine and gave them a smile. Returning her smile, the four new founding members stood in front of the guild while she stood a little farther back, holding up the lacrima camera._

" _Alright. Smile!"_

 _And with a flash, Fairy Tail was born._

 _They all thanked her as they looked at the photo she just took._

" _Well! Now that that is done, I think it's time we welcomed our first member!" Yuri said, pulling her towards them. "First things first. I think it's time our newbie tells us all her name."_

 _Their jaws dropped slightly as they realized that she was finally ready to give them her name. She watched as they looked at her in anticipation. They knew how secretive she had been with her name. She looked to Yuri who gave her a thumbs up in support._

 _She sucked in a breath. "My name is…Leora."_

" _Leora…" They repeated her name slowly, trying it out on their tongues._

" _Oh! You don't have a last name?" Mavis' soft voice reached her ears._

 _She replied, confused. "Why would I need a last name? I'm a dragon."_

" _Aww…that's no excuse for not having one!" Mavis' hands were at her hips. "Hmm…Ah! I know what!" Mavis smiled brightly. "You can just use mine!"_

" _Hah? That's a little half-assed don't you think," Yuri complained._

 _Mavis puffed her face. "No its not!" She turned back towards her. "Come on, try it!"_

 _For some reason she liked the idea of having a last name despite having walked around for three hundred years without one. She tried it out slowly. "Leora…Vermillion…?"_

" _Leora Vermillion." They repeated her name with sparkles in their eyes before breaking out into huge smiles. She froze as she was suddenly enveloped into a group hug. When it disbanded she stepped back, slightly embarrassed._

 _Precht gave her a smile before turning towards Mavis. "I think our newbie is missing something…First Master."_

" _Ah!" Mavis exclaimed. "Right. You need our guild stamp!"_

" _Guild stamp?" she asked._

" _Yup!" Mavis grinned. "It signals that you belong to our guild. To Fairy Tail. And wherever your adventures take you, you'll know that you will always have your nakama with you."_

 _Nakama…she liked the sound of that._

 _Mavis smiled. "Now what colour do you want and where do you want it?"_

 _She thought for a moment before answering. "Black and right here." She pointed to her right abdomen, right above her hip as she lifted her shirt. Mavis nodded before applying the stamp. She felt a slight tingle as the magic worked its way onto her skin._

 _Mavis stepped back, admiring her work before her brows furrowed. "Hmm…something's missing don't you think?"_

 _She was confused as the other guys nodded in agreement. Mavis stepped forward again and placed her hand over the newly applied mark. She felt a stronger surge of magic over the stamp before Mavis once again stepped back, this time with a large grin._

 _Mavis' eyes sparkled as she placed her hands onto her hips. "Now that's better! Just for our very first member."_

 _She looked down. The black Fairy Tail mark now held a beautiful shimmer of gold. Mavis must have infused a bit of her illusion magic into it to create the effect. She agreed with her. It does look perfect now._

 _Mavis smiled as she held out her hand, her voice soft and gentle. "Welcome, Leora Vermillion, to Fairy Tail!"_

* * *

 _They had been walking for an hour now, her hand still in his, but she had no idea where they were headed. Suddenly his soft voice drifted into her ears._

" _Little Dragon, you still haven't told me your name," Zeref mentioned as he shifted the boy he was carrying._

 _She suddenly stopped walking causing the black mage to stop as well. Her name? Her mother had told her to never give someone her name unless she trusted them…_

 _Zeref looked down towards her, his eyes gentle. "Little one. What's your name?"_

 _Her voice caught in her throat._

 _He gave her a soft smile. "Don't you trust me?"_

" _I do!" she immediately shouted. She did. Why shouldn't she trust the man who just saved her life, who promised to help her seek revenge?_

 _She looked up at him, her eyes filled with certainty. She trusted him._

" _My name is Leora."_

 _Zeref looked at her as if expecting something more, but his blank face soon gave way to a smile as he let go of her hand to ruffle her hair._

" _Leora…like the light from the sun. How…ironic."_

 _Her brows furrowed slightly as she wondered what he meant._

* * *

 **A/N: Tadaaa! Officially my favourite chapter so far to write. I've been picturing this scene for quite some time now. I've also debated over her name for forever, before finally settling on Leora. The way I like to pronounce it is Ley-OR-ah. I hope it met expectations?...Let me know what you guys think!**

 **Anyways! With the next chapter I will conclude what I now deem as the first Arc of the story. From there, the story will start to flow into GMG, which I'm also quite excited for.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	11. Arc I-11: The bonds we share

**Chapter 11**

 _My name is…_

"Leora Vermillion."

It had been just a whisper, but Laxus heard it as clear as day. His breath hitched as his ears picked up the gentle syllables that his brain registered as her name. Her name. Something that for the past two months had eluded him. Never had she mentioned it to anyone else in the guild…until today. Laxus felt an odd surge of warmth throughout his body as he realized that she finally trusted him enough to personally gift him with her name.

Leora…Light…

Laxus smiled as he realized that his nickname for her wasn't very far off from her real name. As he laid there on the ground he recognized that they were in a similar position as the last time he had this thought. That was when she had saved him from the demon. Similar to then, the sun was shining behind her, illuminating her entire body. Her hair blended into the sun as it draped softly over her body. But there was one thing different this time around.

It was the way her eyes were looking at him. He hadn't noticed it before, but this time he had something to contrast it with. After she had saved him from the demon, her eyes still held a level of distrust and contempt when she looked at him. Now, those same bold golden orbs beheld him with more certainty and acknowledgement, even if it was slightly begrudgingly. He'll work on changing that part later. Though as his thoughts continued to run, he did realize that those eyes were starting to dull, her brows were raised and her lips were currently held in a straight line.

Oh. He had forgotten to continue with the ritual. He took a breath.

 _Leora Vermillion_

Laxus' voice echoed throughout the valley as he repeated her name. It rolled off his tongue roughly, giving her name a huskier edge to it. The guild members, who were unable to hear her whisper, heard it loud and clear when Laxus announced it. They all gasped as they heard her name for the first time.

Leora shivered slightly as she heard her name being spoken. It's been a long time since she's last heard it. Even to her, it almost seemed foreign. As soon as her name left the dragon slayer's lips, she felt a spark rush through her right arm and when it reached the ends of her fingertips and into the dragon slayer's heart the world exploded around her.

A large pillar of lightning struck down from the sky almost blinding all the spectators in the field. It was quite a scene. The dragoness' head was tilted back towards the sky with her eyes opened wide and practically glowing. Her long golden hair whipped behind her as the wind picked up dramatically. Below her, Laxus' body stiffed. He too had his stormy blue eyes wide open and his mouth dropped in shock.

Leora had her breath stolen as she felt the dragon slayer's magic hit her like a ton of bricks. Suddenly she felt as if a whole new world had opened up within her. Her senses grew stronger and it felt as if a veil has been lifted over her eyes. She could feel a searing warmth where the dragon slayer's hand currently lay.

Laxus could barely breathe as he felt wave after wave of her power slam into his body from her right arm. It felt completely different from magic: pure and raw. He felt a part of himself open up, similar to when he had first obtained his Second Origin. To add to that, there was a searing heat right where the dragon's hand was placed on his chest.

To the both of them, it was like a two way channel had been opened between their souls with both doors having been kicked open.

And just as fast as it happened, the pillar of lightning disappeared in a flash, leaving the valley with just a gentle breeze. Both dragon and dragon slayer were panting heavily, completely exhausted and in a daze. All around the field, the other members of Fairy Tail were all amazed as they tried to comprehend what had just happened.

Leora slowly let go of Laxus' right hand and removed her own right arm from his chest. Almost instantly she felt their connection being cut. Looking down at the dragon slayer's chest she now saw the evidence of their newly formed bond. On the outside of his left pectoral there now lay a new mark, black and inky in the form of a curved lightning bolt. It started from the top of his pectoral, before it curved with the muscle, its tip resting below its underside, just above his Fairy Tail stamp. It looked like an effortless addition to his current tribal tattoo.

The dragoness had a similar addition to her body as well. Right where Laxus' hand had been was now a black tattoo. It was the mirror image of the one that graced the lightning mage's body. Another curved black lightning bolt. It started at the top of her left breast, before jutting out and curving around the underside of her flesh.

Slowly, Leora got up off of the dragon slayer as she stood. Her hair caught in the light breeze as it flowed around her gently. She looked towards the tree line, catching Mavis' large grin in the distance before she disappeared from the trees.

"It's done," she whispered. Smiles broke out amongst the watching crowd and they were about to run towards the pair when Leora's voice rang out from the field once more.

"Ah wait. One more thing," Leora said. The crowd watched as she looked down at Laxus who was now sitting up on the ground with an inquiring look on his face. A small smirk graced her face just before a swift fist struck down to whack the poor dragon slayer on the top of his head.

"OII! What the hell was that for?!" Laxus shouted angrily while holding a hand to his head. A very visible lump was now showing where she had hit him.

Leora let out a devious smile as she wiped her two hands together with great satisfaction. "Oh I had waited so long to do that." Jaws dropped to the floor in the crowd. One chuckle was heard, which was then joined by another until the entire guild was laughing and cheering.

"That was Man!"

"Awesome!"

"Laxus did it!"

The Fairy Tail members all rushed towards the pair in a mass of laughter and cheer. The Raijinshuu all crowded over Laxus to check on his injuries while Team Natsu surrounded the dragoness in excitement. Amongst all of them, one little girl's voice was missed.

"Mommy…why isn't she wearing any clothes?"

* * *

In classic Fairy Tail fashion, the guild had celebrated the successful bonding of Dragon and Knight with a huge party. All cramped up inside the tiny guild building in the middle of the forest, Fairy Tail was once again as loud and rambunctious as before. All the booze had been brought out as the guild drank to success, happiness and anything else worth drinking for. Everyone seemed happy…except for one dragon sitting at a table in the corner.

Leora had been sulking the entire night. After the adrenaline from the bonding had died down, her rational side had been replaying the match over and over in her head. She honestly hadn't expected the dragon slayer to be so…strong. She was so certain that the fight would have been over as soon as the mark was removed. She looked down at her collar, feeling a little odd, but completely relieved to not see the mark there. Instead, it had been replaced by something new. Her eyes drifted over to the left side of her chest. The tip of her new mark can be seen peeking out from the cleavage held together by her black corset. That mark should have been a signal of her loss and yet she couldn't quite get herself to think about it that way. But she still pouted over how easily she had been overwhelmed and had grown more frustrated as the night when on. Finally unable to take it anymore she slammed her palm into the table before she stood straight up.

"Dragon slayer, I want a rematch!" She pointed a finger towards Laxus on the opposite side of the table. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't quite understand why her instincts had succumbed to the dragon slayer that easily. Did he pull some weird magic on her?

"Haa?!" Laxus stood up as well, his large form leaning over the table towards her. "Sorry Sunshine, but there's no take two." He braced his hands against the wooden table, his large coat brushing against the table top.

"That's not fair! You cheated!" Leora shouted, leaning over as well. "You've never used your dragon slaying magic before this!" Their foreheads were practically touching as sparks began to fly between them.

"It's not my fault you don't use your brains as you fight!" Laxus retorted with a snort. "And besides, who said I had to show you everything up my sleeves upfront?"

Leora growled, partially because he was kind of right. "Just because you somehow convinced my instincts that you are worth it, it doesn't me that I accept you just yet!" Lightning started to surround the two. Quickly the Raijinshuu rushed over to break up the fight. Immediately, Bickslow dragged the dragoness off to the other side of the guild, while Freed and Evergreen stayed with Laxus.

"Somehow it doesn't seem like anything had changed, does it?" Evergreen noted with a laugh. She watched as Bickslow dragged the dragon girl kicking and screaming across the guild before dumping her with Team Natsu.

Freed chuckled, "I'm not so sure about that. If this had been before, I'm pretty sure she would have electrocuted all of us by now." He smiled as he looked over at Laxus who had sat back down with his hands crossed over his chest and was now grumbling to himself. Something along the lines of 'stupid dragon', 'doesn't know when to quit' and 'rematch my ass'.

* * *

Sometime during the night, Cana had approached Leora at Team Natsu's table.

"Leeorraaa-chaaann!" The card mage slurred as she strutted over while holding a keg of beer. "So _beautiful_ your name is. *hiccup* You know what? *hiccup* I think we need to drink. Mm…YA that's a great idea." She put down her keg and pointed a wavering finger towards the dragoness. "Let's have a drinking contest! Me and you!"

Leora raised an eyebrow. "Alcohol doesn't work on dragons." Her body metabolized the substance far too fast for it to have any effect on her.

Gray laughed, "Cana. I don't think even you can win this one." The rest of the table nodded in agreement.

Cana pouted, "Graaaay, you need to have more faith in me. Just you watch. I'll prove you wrong…" Cana turned towards Mira who was serving drinks behind the bar. "MIRA! Two kegs please!"

"Haai!" Mira shouted from the behind the bar. Within minutes two fresh kegs were in front of the dragoness and the card mage.

"First one to drop loses," Cana announced with another hiccup.

Leora gave her a smirk as she lifted the keg effortlessly with one arm, "Alright…"

Within thirty minutes the brunette had passed out on the floor.

Gray looked on with amazement as the dragoness looked perfectly fine despite having finished ten kegs in such a short amount of time.

"Leora was it?" Gray said with a smirk as he placed a hand over her shoulder. "I think we need to find you a stronger drink."

Leora furrowed her brow. "Gray, I already said…alcohol doesn't work on me." She thought she suddenly felt a dark presence staring at her, but she shook it off as nothing. Somewhere off in the corner of the guild a certain blue haired mage was staring daggers at the blonde dragon.

"New Love Rival..." Juvia hissed as she stared at the two from behind a pillar.

Gray steered the dragoness towards the bar. "Well, can't hurt to try." He sat the blonde down at the bar before waving Mira over. "Mira! Bring us the guild's strongest!"

Mira frowned as she stood in front of the ice mage. "Gray, I don't know about that…No one has actually tried it since we've bought it. I heard it's supposed to be strong enough to even get demons drunk."

Leora raised a brow.

Gray gave Mira a wolfish grin. "Sounds perfect then! Bring her over!" The barmaid gave them a hesitant look before relenting.

"Alright…" Mira disappeared into the back storage room.

Moments later Mira placed a dark looking bottle labelled 'Hell's Fire' in front of the two. "Are you sure about this?..."

"Well, if anything is going to get Leora here drunk it'll be this," Gray said nonchalantly. He looked towards Leora with a sly grin. "Go on then! Don't worry I'll be joining you. But, obviously not with that." Gray gestured towards his own frosted bottle of liquor. Reaching over the bar to grab two shot glasses, he filled them up with their respective choices in alcohol. Passing the shot glass over to Leora, he watched as she sniffed at it hesitantly, her nose wrinkling as she took in its strong scent.

He lifted his own in front of them and smiled when she proceeded to do the same. "Cheers!" Glasses clinked as the two downed their respective shots.

Leora's eyes widened as she felt the alcohol slide down her throat. True to its label it felt like hellfire as burned all the way down. Within moments she felt herself starting to warm. She looked up at Gray who now sported a large grin on his face. He already had two more shots lined up for them.

"More?"

* * *

"Graaaaaayy *hiccup* It-It was Gray right?" Leora said as she lifted her head off the bar top and pointed to her right. She had lost count of how many shots of that weird alcohol she had after the tenth one.

"Yuuuup! That's my name," Gray replied back, slightly swaying on the bar stool. He himself had matched the dragoness shot for shot and was now feeling very intoxicated himself. Which meant all reasoning had flown out of the window by now. He threw his arm over Leora's shoulder pulling her towards him. "I'm offended though. You almost forgot my name. I didn't forget _yours_ Leoraaaa."

"*Hiccup* That's because _mine_ is special," She replied with a grin. The alcohol was making her dizzy and she started to sway on her own bar stool.

"Graaay…I feel funny…" Leora slurred as she placed her hands on Gray's bare chest to balance herself. He had lost his shirt about five shots ago…

"Thaat my dear is because you are drunk," Gray said, poking the dragoness on the nose. She huffed, narrowing her eyes and tried to push herself back, but currently his grip around her shoulder was too strong. Even through his hazy vision, Gray was very much appreciating the great view he had of her cleavage. This alcohol was not doing well for the gentlemen side of his brain at the moment.

"Wrong! Dragon's don't get drunk!" Leora retorted with a wave of her hand while looking up at the ice mage. Gray couldn't help but find the blonde dragon absolutely hilarious as she denied the magnitude of her intoxication.

Gray chuckled, "Then what do you call yourself right now?" His arm had now slipped down to her bare waist after losing its strength to stay at her shoulder. The dragoness had conjured up her clothes after her match with Laxus and was once again wearing her cropped bustier and black shorts.

"I told you already!" She slurred, slightly raising her voice. "I-I just feel funny!" True to her word, she felt very warm and fuzzy all over. Of all the alcohol she had consumed over the years, though it wasn't much, this one was on a whole new level. Her head suddenly felt heavy and she found herself resting it on something hard and warm.

Laxus was on the other side of the guild nursing a beer when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Yo Boss, it seems like Gray is moving in on your little dragon over there." Bickslow said with a smirk.

"What are you talking about, she's not my dragon." Laxus retorted, his brow raised.

Bickslow laughed, his tongue rolling out. "If you say so Laxus…but Gray over there is getting quite cozy with Leora." He pointed towards the bar. Laxus looked over his shoulder to see Gray with his arm around the dragon's waist and her head on his shoulder. For some odd reason he felt a little annoyed seeing that picture. When had she gotten there?!

Bickslow leaned his face a little closer to Laxus' when he saw his boss' narrowed eyes and darkened features. "You _sure_ you're not getting jealous there boss?" His babies hovered around him. "Jealous! Jealous!"

Laxus growled at his friend to shut up as he continued to watch as Gray flirted with Leora. He was about to get up when a dark aura descended upon his own table. Suddenly the glint of a long sword could be seen as it was held up to his neck.

"Laxus!" Erza's authoritative voice was deep and commanding. However, the slight red flush to her cheeks indicated that she too had had quite a couple of drinks. "I must avenge Leora-san's honor!"

Bickslow couldn't help but burst into laughter at the display. Laxus decided to glare daggers at the requip mage who could barely hold her sword straight. "What are you talking about Erza."

"Y-your hand was on her-" Erza stumbled over her words due to both her embarrassment and the alcohol. Even now she found herself picturing the scene all over again in her mind, which only made her blush even more.

"Breast?" Laxus teased as he finished Erza's sentence. Laxus had leaned forward a little more despite the sword touching his neck.

"Y-Yes." Erza tried to sound commanding, but was slowly starting to falter.

"Mmm you're right, it was quite soft," Laxus smirked at the additional sputtering he got out of the redhead. A part of him started to recall a previous moment. One from when the dragoness decided to feed and he also had a delicious feel-. Nope. He's got to stop with that line of thought. "But Erza, You must have forgotten, but she was the one who put my hand there in the first place. So shouldn't it be my honor that should be avenged?"The red head tried to get in another word, but Laxus cut her off. "Besides, if you really want to talk about Sunshine's honor, I think there's someone else you should point your sword at." Laxus took his hand and pushed the blade of her sword towards the bar where the dragoness was still shamelessly draped over the ice mage. Laxus' face broke out into a grin when Erza's eyes widened in shock before they narrowed into slits. Rage was flowing from the redhead's body as she started to stalk towards the bar.

"Wow Boss. Now that's one way to break them up." Bickslow laughed, tongue hanging out. "You sure you weren't jealous?"

"Shut up Bicks." Laxus leaned back to enjoy the show, but it seems like another dark aura made it to the bar before the raging requip mage.

Gray was still enjoying himself when suddenly he felt himself being torn apart from the dragoness by a raging force.

"Love Rival…" Juvia hissed as she stood between them with her arms spread out. A dark aura surrounded her as she grabbed onto Gray. "Stay away from my Gray-sama!"

Leora was pushed backwards by water mage and almost tipped off the bar stool, but managed to rebalance herself. "Love Rival?" She tipped back forward, her face almost touching Juvia's, causing blunette to blush. "Water mage Juvia…*hiccup* You don't have to worry about me." She leaned over to Juvia's ear, whispering as her voice dropped an octave. "I can't love."

Jumping off the bar stool she staggered off, leaving Juvia a little shaken as she wondered what the dragoness meant. Gray was equally confused with the whole situation until he froze when he heard his name being spoken at a very low octave.

"Gray…" Erza's voice struck fear through his bones before his yelp could be heard throughout the guild.

* * *

Leora had been meaning to find the fire dragon slayer before she caught a blur of black in the corner of her eye.

"Kuro nekooo!" she exclaimed, having completely forgotten about looking for Natsu. The black cat had been avoiding her ever since she got here. She didn't know why, but today was the day that she was going to find out.

Pantherlily was happily sipping on some kiwi juice when he suddenly felt a shiver down his back. Turning around, he froze up when he saw the lightning dragon come towards him. Quickly abandoning his favourite drink he made a run for it. He had been afraid of the dragoness ever since she arrived at the guild. He knew his reaction was uncalled for, but considering how her element always came with the crack of thunder he couldn't help but shake as soon as he saw her approaching.

"Neko…*hiccup* Today's the day I'm gonna capture you!" Leora quickly stalked after the cat like a predator as he snaked in and out of the tables. Given the haziness of her vision, she didn't see the man who moved to block her path until she crashed right into him. Once again her hands found themselves on another hard surface. Looking up she saw black hair, iron piercings and a disgruntled scowl.

"Oi. Stop bothering my cat!" Gajeel grunted as he looked down. He immediately held the dragoness away at arm's length. He had seen Laxus' dark looks when she was with Gray and then what Erza did to the poor man. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of any wrath tonight.

"Ah! Levy's mate!" Leora exclaimed with a suggestive wink. She knew that was a lie, but the alcohol convinced her to have some fun today.

"Haaa?!" Gajeel shouted. "What the hell are you spouting dragon?" He felt his face flush, but he chalked it up to the alcohol. Yes, it was definitely just the alcohol. His face turned into a scowl as the dragoness continued to try and get around him to where Lily was hiding. "Oi! Cut it out!"

Leora puffed in frustration. Seeing something that would definitely distract the iron dragon slayer she quickly rushed over to grab the Solid Script mage, using Levy to replace her spot.

"What th-" Gajeel blurted as Levy was suddenly thrusted into his arms instead. He watched as Leora dived under a table to grab Lily.

"G-Gajeel?!" Levy stuttered, a blush forming on her face. "What are you doing?"

Quickly pushing her to arm's length, Gajeel turned his face away from the blunette. This warmth was definitely from the alcohol. Definitely the alcohol. "N-nothing."

"Kuro nekoo! I found you!" Leora screamed in delight as she hugged the trembling cat to her chest. Lily couldn't help his body from reacting like this. He was so close to the lightning dragon...the one who made all that thunder during the fight...

"What's wrong neko? Why are you so scared?" Leora asked, squishing the cat further into her chest. The couple of guys that happened upon their exchange were quite jealous of Lily right now.

"A-ah...S-sorry Leora-s-san. I-I just d-don't do w-well with thunder," Lily stuttered. This was embarrassing, he was normally much more composed than this. He looked around for an escape, but everyone seemed to be too intoxicated to notice his predicament.

"Ah! I can fix that!" Leora exclaimed, though she couldn't understand why anyone could be afraid of something as harmless as a little thunder. She didn't like it when someone didn't appreciate her element. Hopping over a couple of passed out mages on the guild floor, she ran outside with Lily tucked safely in her arms.

"Oi! Where the hell does she think she's going?" Laxus complained loudly from his table. He wouldn't admit it, but a part of himself found her current drunken episode quite...cute. Well, except the part with Gray of course. It must have been the alcohol. He stared back down at his half-finished beer. Yes, the alcohol.

"Laxus, aren't you going to go get her?" Evergreen asked with a suggestive smile. With her woman's intuition she had noticed how Laxus was watching the dragon's every move. She didn't like it, since she felt a little jealous that her great leader's attention was not on her, but today she'll make an exception.

Seeing Evergreen's suggestive smile, Laxus stayed put, arms crossed. "Hmph. She can do whatever she wants." He pretended not to look towards the guild entrance, but somehow he caught his eyes drifting back once or twice.

The stars from the night sky were bright that night as was the moonlight that was aloft. It illuminated the outside of the guild surrounded by the forest. Leora took a deep breath of the clean air as she exited the guild.

"A-ah Leora-s-san. W-where are w-we g-going?!" Lily stuttered from his place in her arms.

"Here's fine." Leora said. She seeming sobered up for this one moment, holding the tiny cat gently as she looked up at the sky. "Thunder is only a sound, a noise." The sky started to rumble slightly, causing Lily's trembles to increase. "But it tends to follow something a lot stronger and unpredictable. You are scared because you don't know what the thunder follows. It's the unknown that scares you." She let a streak of lightning cross the sky. Lily only snuggled into her chest even more in an attempt to hide.

Gajeel had seen the dragoness spirit out of the guild with Pantherlily. "Oi! What is she planning to do with Lily?!" Quickly chasing the both of them, Gajeel made it to the guild entrance before he was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm. Turning his head around, he saw Levy holding on to him.

"Wait!" Levy pleaded. "Just watch!" Levy pointed to where Leora and Lily were standing a couple of feet outside, unaware of their new audience.

"You're right, lightning and thunder can be dangerous and unpredictable. But it doesn't always have to be frightening. Look." Leora continued to hold Lily with one hand while the other was held open in front of the cat. Gentle sparks gathered in her open palm, dancing over its surface. Lily shied away from her hand, trembling like a leaf.

Her voice was gentle and her golden eyes were soft as she looked down at the cat. "It won't hurt you. Go on. Touch it," Lily gave her a look that pretty much said 'Are you kidding me?!'.

Leora gave the black cat a gentle smile. "Trust me." Lily looked at her hesitantly before turning to face the lightning again. He stretched out a trembling paw towards the dancing sparks on the dragon's palm. He pulled back slightly, but with another reassuring smile he reached out and...it didn't hurt? He swiped at the arcs of lightning over her hand a couple of times more, his trembles lessening with each touch. Within a couple of moments, they've stopped all together. Lily continued to keep his paw on her palm as arcs of lightning waltzed around him.

"What did I say?" Leora smiled. Lily looked up at the dragoness with a wide grin on his face, uncharacteristic from his normally grumpy expression. "And you know what else?" Leora pointed to the sky. Suddenly, Lily realized that the sky was raging with loud crashes of thunder...and yet...he wasn't scared. Was that going on the entire time?!

Leora gave Lily a pet to the head. "I think, Pantherlily, you are cured." She turned back around to the guild entrance to see Gajeel and Levy standing there with smiles on their faces. She let go of the black cat and watched as he ran up to the pair.

"Gajeel!" Lily said. "I'm not afraid of thunder anymore." His hands were proudly upon his waist as he looked up to the iron dragon slayer with a wide grin.

"Gihi," Gajeel grinned, ruffling the cat's fur. "That's my cat!" Levy gave the dragoness a bright smile as Leora walked past the trio back into the guild. For some reason as soon as she passed the guild threshold, that last wave of alcohol she had with Gray finally hit her. Stumbling into the guild she found herself remembering the reason she left the bar to begin with.

"Natsuuuuu" Leora shouted, swaying as she walked back inside. "Fight me!" A couple of guild members laughed at the role reversal coming from the drunk dragon. The dragon slayer was about to answer her call, when she suddenly tripped. She braced her hands for the fall, but she was suddenly caught by two strong arms. This was the third time of the night that she had her hands on someone's chest. Looking up with half-lidded eyes she recognized the stormy blue staring back at her, unamused.

"That's enough. You're going home," Laxus said roughly. Before she could protest any further, Leora was thrown over Laxus' shoulder and whisked out of the guild.

Her cries could be heard in the distance. "Let me go!"

* * *

By the time Laxus reached his home Leora was practically sleeping.

"Let me go…" She grumbled quietly. Laxus sighed as opened the door to her room. He moved to place her on the bed, but she suddenly grabbed for him as he leaned down, causing him to fall on top of her. Rolling as soon as she hit the bed, Laxus was quickly flipped onto his back with Leora now lying on top of him. Her head was lying on top of his chest, with her right arm thrown over him. He completely froze when he felt her leg wrap around one of his own, her knee coming dangerously close to his crotch. With her close proximity he could catch her distinct scent of wild lightning. Laxus tried to pry the drunk blonde off of him, but she currently had a death grip on his body.

Suddenly he felt the slight tingle of her power.

"You've got to be kidding me." Laxus watched in horror as her clothes started disappearing in sparks of electricity. He knew she liked to sleep in the nude, but this was _really_ not a good time. Suddenly he was very aware of naked breasts pressed oh so nicely against his chest. He tried to slip out from underneath her grasp, but it only made her hold onto him tighter. His breath hitched when he felt her nipples brush against him through his thin shirt. The air in the room suddenly felt a little warmer.

"I want a rematch…" she grumbled into his chest. Laxus' mood dampened slightly when he heard her words. He stared softly at the mess of blonde sprawled on top of him. He knew that he had won over her instincts with the match today, but he found himself wanting to win over this side of her as well. Her conscious side.

"Baka dragon slayer…" she murmured. Her leg tightened around his and her knee brushed slightly against his crotch. Laxus felt his hands tightening into fists.

"Laxus…"

Laxus couldn't hold back the groan as he heard his name slip through her lips for the second time that day. With some newly found strength, he quickly pushed her off his body he rushed back into his room. Breathing heavily, Laxus cursed as he once again found himself with another 'problem'. _I am NOT getting attracted to my dragon. I am NOT._

Laxus also didn't catch himself calling the blonde, ' _his_ ' dragon.

Leora simply rolled back onto her stomach, gently snoring, completely unaware of what she just did to the dragon slayer.

* * *

The next morning, Laxus and Leora walked into a rather noisy guild.

"We're going!"

"Definitely not! I don't approve!"

Laxus raised his eyebrow. "Seems like Romeo and Macao are arguing." Leora only looked on in curiosity as her and Laxus chose a table off to the corner to watch the argument. Team Natsu chose that moment to walk in as well.

"What are they arguing about?" Gray asked as they entered the guild.

"Who votes no for it!" Macao shouted. The rest of the non-Tenrou members all had their hands up and clearly answered 'NO'.

"It's always a complete disaster," Alzack said sheepishly.

"We were pretty much embarrassing ourselves in public," Bisca added in. Even little Asuka had her hand raised.

Romeo continued to protest. "But this time it will be different! We have the Tenrou Team back! We have Natsu-nii and Erza-nee! Fairy Tail won't lose this time!"

Natsu, impatient with all the back and forth decided to butt in. "Can anyone tell us what the hell you are talking about?!"

"While you guys were gone, an annual festival was created to decide the number one guild in Fiore!" Romeo explained with excitement.

Laxus had his eyebrow raised as he continued to listen. He looked to his right to where Leora was sitting on the table beside him. It seemed like she was still sulking about their match from yesterday. What amazed him was how perfectly fine she was despite the level of her intoxication the night before. Perhaps it's the dragon metabolism. More importantly, it also seemed as if she had no recollection of when she was completely drunk...

Romeo was still going on. "All the guilds of Fiore are gathered together to compete! It's called the Grand Magic Games!"

"I see..." Erza commented, lips curled up into a smile. "So if we win there...Fairy Tail will be the number one guild in Fiore!"

Leora took a look around the guild hall as the rest of them continued to argue. This old rickety shack definitely doesn't look like it belongs to the number one guild in Fiore. Hell, it looked even worse than their very first guild building.

Natsu on the other hand was completely fired up, as was the Master who just heard that the winning guild gets thirty million jewels as a prize. "When is this event happening?"

"In three months!" Romeo exclaimed, clear excitement evident in the sparkles in his eyes.

Natsu laughed, "That's plenty of time! We'll get ourselves in shape by then! Fairy Tail is going to be the number one guild in Fiore once again!"

Laxus smiled as he watched the rest of the guild talk excitedly amongst themselves about training for the Grand Magic Games. He caught himself glancing over at the dragoness beside him. Three months. He figured that be enough to at least build upon this Bond that they have now. She glanced back up at him with a questioning glare, before returning to watch the others. He hadn't noticed this last night, but he was thankful that her mood towards him seemed to have changed since yesterday. She was definitely less hostile towards him, despite her still being angry, well more like being a sore loser. Her gaze no longer held the killing vibe he used to get from her every time she looked at him.

"Oi Sunshine, stop sulking." Laxus said as he ruffled her hair. She immediately shot him a dark glare and swatted away his hand. For some reason Laxus still wasn't used to using her name, probably because he has been using her nickname instead for the past two months. Besides, he decided that he liked her nickname a little more. "We're going training."

"Training?" Leora asked curiously. "Where?"

Laxus smirked. "Why Tenroujima of course." The sacred island had always had a higher concentration of magic surrounding it and with Mavis' protection he was bound to get some progress on his magic training. He too felt like he had seven years to make up for, despite recently catching himself a fiesty dragon.

Tenroujima…Leora blinked at him for a couple of seconds before giving in.

"Fine..."

Guess it was time to go back to where everything started.

* * *

 **A/N: And so this ends the first Arc of the story! Given a couple of heavier chapters previously, I decided to make this one a little lighter to set up the next Arc. I really liked writing about drunk Leora, Lily and his fear of thunder (and love of kiwis!), he's so cute!**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	12. Arc II-12: Pandora's box

**Chapter 12**

Leora enjoyed the wind blowing through her hair as she soared through the sky over the ship. The sun was bright and the clouds were scarce this fine morning. With her wings spread wide and her tail out for balance, she opted to fly to the island rather than stay on the ship that the dragon slayer and the Raijinshuu were currently on. She didn't fly ahead during the journey, simply hovering around the ship as it travelled. She had forgotten how great it was to fly with her true wings. The ocean breeze felt amazing against her skin as she flew with the birds.

Finally sighting Tenroujima up ahead, Leora let out a smile. She had not returned to the island since she fled from it, after the dragon slayer had placed the mark on her. It would be nice to return to her current den for a visit. Unable to hold her excitement, she flew on ahead, not hearing the annoyed shout from the ship below.

Landing in the clearing outside her den, she stretched her limbs and recalled her wings before walking towards Mavis' grave. She stayed in front of it for a moment, taking in the essence of her magic that still surrounded the stone monument. All around her the island was quiet, save for the gentle chirping of the birds overhead. She breathed out as Mavis' magic calmed her from within. Stepping behind the grave, she made her way inside her den, which had remained opened. A little worried at first, she smiled when she noted that everything was still in place and decided to flop down on a pile of furs to take a nice long nap.

* * *

"What the hell is taking this woman so long?" Laxus grumbled as he paced around their campsite. It had been a week since they had seen the dragoness after she had flown off to the island. When they had first arrived, Laxus had found her sleeping in her den behind the First Master's grave, but she had simply told him to go away. Said something along the lines of needing a break after having spent the past two months with him twenty-four seven. She told him she'd be back when she had enough rest. Did she always talk back like that?

"Calm down Laxus," Bickslow said as he exited his tent with a yawn. Even his babies looked sleepy as they were flying a little slower this morning. "Dragon girl will come when she comes."

"Bickslow is right," Freed added in. "We should be focused on our own training if we want to get stronger and participate in the Games." Even though Freed wasn't a huge fan of competition, he felt it was his duty to make it up to those members who had waited for them for seven long years.

"Exactly," Evergreen said as she walked out of her tent, pushing up her glasses. She had been itching to improve upon her skills. After her devastating defeat at the hands of the Grimoire Heart and later by that demon she was ready for things to change. "She'll come by when she's ready."

Laxus continued to grumble as the four of them walked towards their training grounds. He had actually been looking forward to fighting the dragon again. Their previous match had been exhilarating.

* * *

Later that night after the Raijinshuu had gone to sleep, Laxus was still training on his own in a clearing in the middle of the forest. Practicing his lightning magic, he sent a bolt of lightning straight into a poor unsuspecting tree causing it to be roasted upon impact.

A voice interrupted him. "You're lightning is very…ugly." Laxus immediately turned towards the origin of that snarky remark and noted the dragoness sitting in a tree nearby.

Laxus snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "What the hell does that even mean?"

"It means exactly what I said." Leora slipped down from the tree and walked towards Laxus. "Your lightning is too harsh." She looked towards the tree that was just killed by him. "Judging from the looks of it, it's fueled by anger and rage. And that is what makes it ugly."

Thinking about what Leora said, Laxus realized that his magic was really fueled by his anger. Not that it surprised him. It mostly came from the pent up frustration and rage he felt as a child. Having been called weak and compared non-stop to his grandfather, Laxus had channeled all of that energy into his magic. But his rage was also what had made him strong.

"What's wrong with using my anger?" Laxus asked, still a little offended. Besides, he had a lot of it.

"Nothing," she answered as she walked past him. "If all you want to do is destroy." Another harsh bolt of lightning came down from the sky and struck down another tree, splitting it straight down the middle. Smoke rose from the strike point and into the air as the trunk sizzled. Leora walked around the dragon slayer until they were back to back from one another.

"But there are so many more things that lightning can do." Sparks began flying from her hands and rose into the air above them causing Laxus to look up. "It can illuminate." The arcs of lightning above them twisted in on themselves creating a miniature lacrima light sphere.

"It can build-" The lightning arranged itself into a spear above their heads. "-and recreate." The spear dissolved back into lightning then morphed into a sword before once again dissipating back into electricity.

"It can listen and tell you things." The sparks of lightning ran through the ground and back towards them.

"Lightning can be tough-" The harsh rumbling of thunder was heard in the distance. "-but it can also be gentle." The arcs of lightning went back into the air and gently floated around them, looking like they were dancing.

"And lastly," she said. "Lightning...can be beautiful." The arcs of lightning dispersed into tiny little sparks and rose high above them, almost mimicking the bright stars that were present in the night sky. Laxus found himself speechless throughout her entire demonstration, understanding what she had meant. Before he had thought that lightning really was just lightning, but just now he was proven wrong. Now he was able to tell what she meant when his lightning was harsh and fueled with rage.

Laxus couldn't help but turn around to face the dragoness, who was still looking up at the sky. With the way the moon, the stars and her own sparks of lightning illuminated her face, Laxus couldn't help but think about how _she_ was beautiful as well. Immediately catching himself with that thought, he coughed, trying to get his mind away from that train of thought. His cough caught Leora's attention and she looked back over at him.

Seeing the look of understanding in the dragon slayer's eyes Leora nodded, before mentioning. "Tomorrow as soon as the sun rises, we start."

"Start what?" Laxus asked, still a little flustered.

"Training of course," she replied with her hands on her hips. "If you think I'm gonna approve of a weak dragon slayer as my Knight then you've got something coming."

Playing into the game, Laxus gave her a grin as he leaned forward. "I thought you already _did_ approve of this weak dragon slayer. In fact _you're_ the one who submitted to _me_."

Leora flinched backwards, "T-That's irrelevant!" She pointed a finger towards the dragon slayer. "You've got a long way to go before I truly call you my Knight!"

Laxus pulled back with a scowl, arms crossed. "Fine. I'll agree to you 'training' me. But only if you let me teach you too."

Leora scoffed, looking smug. "I highly doubt you can teach me something I don't already know." She was over four hundred years old. Who was this human who thinks he knows more than she does?!

Laxus smirked. "Oh I _do_ know something that you don't know." He took a step forward, poking a finger to the middle of her bare collar. Out of pride, Leora didn't back away. "You have an empty magic container inside you now, so I'm going to teach you how to use magic." Laxus wasn't about to be the only one learning things. He'd rather be on an even field with the dragoness. Which meant that if she was going to be training him, then he was going to be training her as well. In his mind, it was only fair. Laxus watched as a myriad of emotions went through the dragoness' face. Shock, disinterest, slight curiosity and hesitation.

Laxus decided to urge her on. "What? Are you afraid of learning a little magic?"

Completely baited by his taunt, Leora responded hotly. "Why would I be afraid?!" She glared at the dragon slayer, before reluctantly agreeing. "Fine. I'll learn your stupid magic."

Laxus let out a victorious grin. "Good. I hope you'll be ready."

Leora gave him a grin as well, however hers was much darker. "No. It is you who should be ready. These next three months will be your greatest hell." Laxus felt a small shiver up his spine. He really hoped he had made the right choice in bringing her here.

* * *

The next morning, Laxus found himself sitting crossed legged on the sandy beach. He glanced at the dragoness in front of him and noted Leora's odd attire. Well it wasn't odd by normal circumstances, it was just odd since he had never seen her wear it before. The busty blonde was currently in a pair of dark shorts and a very Cana styled bikini top. The two black fabric triangles that caressed her breasts were held together with a gold ring in the middle and two thin straps that were tied behind her neck. From this attire, her Bond mark was clearly visible to him. The black lightning bolt that curved on the inside of her left breast.

She sat down within arm's length of him in a similar crossed legged manner.

"Remove your shirt," Leora demanded with a serious tone.

"What?" Laxus asked, unsure that he had heard the dragoness correctly.

Leora sighed before reaching forward and slicing his shirt down the middle, stripping his shirt for him. Laxus thought he heard a muffled squeak somewhere back in the trees, but he was too stunned by what she did that he didn't think more into it. Before Laxus could react to her defiling of his shirt, the dragoness had placed her right hand on his left pectoral, right above where his mark was. She quickly grabbed his left hand and placed it on top of her right and with her left hand she grabbed his right one. She maneuvered his right hand so that it slide underneath the gold ring of her bikini so that his right hand was now over her mark. Which basically meant that he was cupping her left breast.

Ah. So that's why she wore the top.

Laxus felt something opening up and connecting between them, but he was too busy gaping like a fish to care. Leora's golden eyes flashed dangerously up to his blue ones.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Leora snarled in warning. Laxus' mouth instantly closed. He once again thought he heard some noises over in the trees, but he was too focused on where his hand was at the moment to investigate. It was just a woman's chest, when the hell did he get so sensitive about this stuff? Her eyes narrowed as if she could tell what he was thinking...

"I can't hear what you are thinking, but I can _feel_ your emotions though the Bond," Leora said. "Now, close your eyes. Can you feel the Bond between us?"

Laxus closed his eyes and tried to figure out what she was saying. He drowned out the noises around him as he concentrated. Slowly he felt the flow of magic and power between the two of them. It was a slight tingle that flowed through their arms in a gentle circle. Laxus nodded.

"Good," Leora continued. "Right now, this connection and this flow is our Bond. You can picture it like a channel with two doors in the middle. One door belongs to you. It controls the flow of your magic and emotions into me. The other door belongs to me. It controls the flow of my power and emotions into you. If one of the doors are closed, the flow is stopped. Soon enough, you will learn how to open and close your door. Right now, it is open."

That made enough sense to the dragon slayer. Laxus nodded for her to continue.

"Currently, our Bond can only be felt through the physical connection between our marks." Her eyes flickered down to their arms. "But, given enough time and training we will be able to feel and communicate with the Bond through much greater distances."

Laxus raised his brow, "I'd be able to talk to you through the Bond?"

Leora nodded in affirmation. "Yes. Right now, we can only transfer our magic or power and sense each other's emotions, but when it gets stronger we would be able to communicate. Now, as a first lesson, can you sense what I am feeling right now?"

Laxus closed his eyes and felt for the Bond again. He let his mind venture through the channel to the other side. He probed around, searching for her emotions… _Hmm…Found it_.

"Annoyed. You're feeling annoyed," Laxus answered. He felt slightly accomplished when he saw her nod.

"Can you figure out why I'm feeling that way?" she asked him.

Laxus' eyebrows furrowed. How the hell was he supposed to know why she was- Wait. He slowed down and concentrated on their surroundings before finally picking up on the noises in the trees that he had been ignoring. Zeroing in on those noises, he could clearly hear the voices of his comrades as they whispered in the bushes. In fact, it was _very_ clear.

"Freed, stop trying to rush out there," Evergreen whispered frantically. Laxus could hear more shuffling.

"How can I not?!" Freed replied, his voice raised an octave. "She's violating him!"

Laxus could hear Bickslow's signature laugh and could practically picture his tongue dropping. Actually wait, he could. "Freed, given the fact that our dear Laxus is the one with his hand on her lovely breast, I don't think she's the one doing the violating." He heard more shuffling and could actually see Freed's head peeking out of the bushes before it was pushed back down. That's interesting. He had never been able to see this well before. Laxus turned his head back to face the dragoness.

"You're annoyed because the Raijinshuu are trying to watch us," Laxus answered with a flat voice, slightly embarrassed by his teammates.

Leora gave him an approving smirk. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Suddenly three yelps could be heard in the distance, before a loud shout was heard. "Goddamnit Laxus! You didn't have to zap us! Fine we'll leave!" Laxus heard the rustling of the trees as the Raijinshuu quickly shuffled away.

Laxus could see the tiny smile that the dragoness tried to hide. Before she could continue, he asked the question that was on the back of his mind. "I can hear and see better than before, is that because of the Bond?"

She nodded. "You're senses have been heightened ever since I've shared some of my power with you. You should now have similar senses to the other first generation dragon slayers. Also an added perk of being Bonded to me is increased resilience. Meaning you can take a lot more damage and heal faster."

Laxus liked the sound of that one.

"But keep in mind that you are still a mage, meaning that you will still be subject to magic deficiency disease should you run out of magic," Leora warned.

He nodded, "So what's in this for you?"

Leora gave it a thought before responding. "For me, like you said before, I can now use magic. Though I can barely picture myself needing it." Laxus snorted at the level of arrogance she had. It was quite similar to his own. "Though I guess one added perk is the fact that I won't be hurt by your dragon slaying magic anymore."

Laxus paused at that one. If his magic was no longer effective on her anymore, what's to stop her from killing him?

Leora sensed his hesitation through the bond and pieced together what he was thinking. "My pride as your Dragon and as your…guild member prevents me from killing you. Understand Laxus that for our Bond to grow, we must trust in each other. If you don't trust me to not kill you, we might as well stop here." Laxus nodded, cursing himself for thinking ill of a fellow…guild member.

"Besides my lightning can no longer hurt you either," she added. Not like it did much damage to him to begin with, given the fact that they were of the same element.

After her lecture, Leora was starting to get tired. The Bond was draining more of her power to keep up than she thought it would. Looking over at the dragon slayer she also noted his exhaustion. She decided that they will end here today and removed their hands from each other, instantly ending the connection.

She noted his heavy panting even after their connection had been cut. The Bond must have been a drain on his magic power as well. She was both surprised and amazed at how long he had held up. She held out an open palm towards Laxus. "You can say this is one last perk I guess." Lightning started to spark in her palm. Seeing the confused expression on his face she laughed, pushing her palm closer towards him. "Go on. Eat."

"You want me to eat your lightning?" Laxus asked, with a raised brow. For some reason this felt a little more intimate than he was comfortable with.

Leora rolled her eyes. "Just try it." Laxus looked down at the arcs of lightning over her hand. Subconsciously grabbing her wrist, Laxus pulled her hand up to his mouth and inhaled the lightning. Almost immediately, flavours exploded on his palate and he couldn't hold back a groan. It was the most goddamn delicious lightning he's ever had and he's been in quite a few lightning storms in the twenty three years of his life. He could feel his magic power restoring itself at incredible speeds as well. His eyes wide, Laxus looked towards the dragoness who now had a smirk on her face.

"Like I said, it's a perk from the Bond."

* * *

The next week was spent strengthening their bond as well as physical and magic training for the mages. At one point Laxus managed to convince Leora to join in, however that was proven unnecessary for the strength portion of the training as she was easily capable of lifting mountains, much to the dismay of the men. However, they did make an interesting discovery while they were in the endurance portion of their training…

Running was never something she had to do. Why would she ever need to run? All she had to do to get somewhere was to fly. Which is what she tried to do during the running portion of the day.

"Oi Sunshine! Stop being lazy and start running." Laxus shouted towards her as she flew above them.

"What do I need to run for? I can just fly!" she yelled back in protest.

"What if you were someplace where there wasn't enough space for your wings?!" Laxus asked smartly.

"…"

Laxus gave her a smug look. "Exactly. Now put away those wings and start running." Leora grumbled as she came back down.

Within five minutes, Leora learned something new. She. Hated. To. Run. Slowing down to a walk and subsequently a complete halt, she bent forward and held her hands to her knees. Flying _never_ took this much energy…why couldn't she just fly? Stupid dragon slayer…making her run…

"Oi! You're going to get left behind if you don't keep up!" Laxus shouted from far ahead.

His words resonated through Leora, causing her to have a mini epiphany. Is this why Zeref kept leaving her behind? Because she was too slow or tired to keep up? Well…she did often take breaks…which turned into naps…! Leora held a look of complete comical devastation as she realized that the combination of Zeref's occasional empty-headedness and her frequent breaks somehow led to her being left behind. Quite often she may add as she inwardly groaned.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a deep voice.

"Come on. We're not going to wait here all day you know?" She looked forward to see a pair dark training shorts standing right in front of her.

"You waited?" Leora asked, pleasantly surprised, more than she should be.

Laxus raised his eyebrow. "Huh? Why wouldn't we?" Finally having the energy to stand up she looked ahead to see the Raijinshuu waving at her from the distance.

"Uh…"

He cut her off, "Let's go. No one gets left behind." Laxus then turned around to jog once more.

"A-Ah." Taking another deep breath she started to run again, focusing on moving one leg in front of the other. She looked to her side and realized that the dragon slayer had stayed next to her...

* * *

"So I think it's my turn to teach, don't you think?" Laxus suggested after he released his hands from Leora's. Within the past two weeks they had managed to strength their Bond so that they didn't need to be touching each other's marks directly. However, they still required physical touch.

Leora's lip twitched, uninterested. What need does she have for magic? She was perfectly fine without it.

"Don't give me that look Sunshine. I believe this was part of our deal," Laxus scoffed, getting up off of the sand and brushing his shorts off. Leora moved to get up as well, but was immediately held back down with Laxus' hands on her shoulders. She gave him a snarl, but Laxus ignored her, opting to walk around so that he was now behind her. He bent down, his hands still on her shoulders.

"It's my turn, Sunshine." Laxus whispered in her ear. He smirked when he felt her shiver through the Bond. "Close your eyes."

"They're already closed," Her voice was monotone. Laxus could already sense her annoyance.

Laxus sent a warning jolt through their Bond. "Don't sass back." He felt her tense for a moment. "Relax." To Laxus' surprised she obeyed him, well not without a huge sigh, relaxing her body once again. He called out to Freed, whom he had known was eavesdropping on them this morning.

"Freed. Come here." Laxus commanded. Letting out a cough of embarrassment at being caught, Freed came out from the bushes to approach the pair on the sandy beach.

"Yes, Laxus." Freed answered.

"Sunshine here is learning magic today. I want you to explain it to her," Laxus said. He would do it himself, but he knew Freed would mostly likely be able to explain it to her better. Unlike the others, he didn't exactly start from scratch, since he gained a head start after the dragon lacrima was implanted in his head.

"Very well, Laxus." Freed moved to stand in front of the dragoness as Laxus stepped back to watch. "Leora-san. Since you have gained the capacity to use magic through the Bonding ritual that means a magic container has been created inside your body. Do you feel something of the sort?"

Leora took a deep breath and felt around for this so called container. As a dragon, all of her power was directly funneled through from nature. She acted simply as a medium for nature to enact its will. However, ever since their Bonding she has been feeling something hollow inside of her. Is that what the rune mage is talking about? "I believe so."

Satisfied with her answer, Freed continued. "A mage's magic power originates from Ethernano, which comes from the atmosphere around us. In order to use magic, you will need to fill your magic container with Ethernano. Eventually, it will fill automatically with time, but for now you'll need to concentrate on bringing it into your body."

"How?" Leora asked.

"You're going to start by meditating," Freed instructed.

"Meditation?" That sounded awfully familiar to Leora…

" _We're supposed to be doing magic training so why do we have to meditate?" The grumpy blonde mage complained as he sat crossed legged with all the others. Leora watched on from behind the trees as Zeref tried to teach the humans magic. Why he decided they were worth his time was beyond her understanding…_

 _Zeref drew a symbol on a neighboring tree. She had no idea what it meant. "Magic power is necessary to put magic into operation. Also you have to materialize the magic power that's inside of you and release it." She sighed as leaned against her tree. Listening to Zeref lecture was boring…_

" _But we don't have any magic in our bodies!" The complaining mage commented again. Leora glared at the man who dared to interrupt Zeref._

 _Zeref continued. "But the fact is there are a great number of wizards who possess magic in this world. To wizards, magic power is the equivalent of their life force." Leora decided to compare that to her own power and life force._

 _The humans in the field continued to listen to the black mage. "So-called Ethernanos are the building blocks of magic power. They're in the air and can be absorbed into the body. Ethernanos that are thus absorbed become the person's magic power." Hmm. So instead of taking in lightning, these humans would take in this Ethernanos…_

 _Leora continued to listen, slightly more intrigued in the lesson now. She managed to catch the last part of Zeref's statement._

" _Meditation is the most effective means of magic absorption."_

"Oi Sunshine, are you even listening?!" Laxus' voice brought her back to the present. She looked over to see a scowl on his face.

"O-Of course I am!" Leora replied, inwardly flustered. She couldn't believe that she was doing the same thing that she made fun of Mavis and them for doing all those years ago…

With a sigh, Laxus nodded at Freed to continue. "Like I said, meditation will help with the absorption of Ethernano into your body. For now, you should concentrate on only that."

Leora nodded, her eyes still closed.

"Good." Laxus said. Leora could hear his footsteps approaching. "For now, you're going to be sitting here and meditating, while the rest of us continue with training."

"What?!" Leora protested. She didn't want to just sit here and meditate while the others got to fight. That's absolutely boring.

"You heard me Sunshine. Sit. Meditate." Laxus demanded. The look in his eyes told her that what he said was final.

"Hmph." She didn't know when she started to listen to the dragon slayer, but she didn't like it. Not at all. Soon after, the rest of the Raijinshuu came to join them. She continued to try and meditate but all the sounds of their combat was breaking her concentration. She was starting to get frustrated when she suddenly felt something around her neck. She looked up to see the dragon slayer standing in front of her.

"Those are noise cancelling. They should help you concentrate." Laxus said as he helped the dragoness put on his Sound Pods. "Don't break them or I'll destroy you."

The Raijinshuu looked on in absolute shock. Laxus _never_ let anyone touch his Sound Pods, let alone wear them. For him to lend them to the dragoness was unheard of…

Laxus turned back around to see the dropped jaws of his teammates. He growled, "Not a word." Even though they didn't say anything else, they continued to snicker before he shocked them back into continuing their training. Every once in a while he'd look over at Leora, who was visibly more relaxed now that she had his Sound Pods on. Even he himself had no idea why he lent them to her…he just did. Shaking his head, he decided not to think too much into and instead concentrated on his own magic training.

* * *

The next couple of days passed in a similar manner. The morning would be spent strengthening their Bond and testing its limits, while the afternoon was spent with Leora meditating. The others would be training their own magic. The evening was often a time for rest and recuperation.

Leora was getting frustrated. While she and the dragon slayer were making progress on the Bond and the dragon slayer was working well towards developing new dragon slayer techniques, she on the other hand made zero progress with her magic. She growled in frustration as their battling continued to disturb her from her meditation. Leaving her spot, she flew off to find a more serene location so that she can concentrate.

* * *

Evening soon turned into night and Laxus still couldn't find Leora. He had saw her leave their training site this afternoon when she was meditating. She had kept her door to the channel open, so he could sense the high level of frustration from her even though they were several feet away. Closing his eyes and concentrating, he tried to locate the dragoness through the Bond, but she was apparently too far away. So Laxus decided to use his brain. Figuring that she would try and find a better location to meditate, Laxus thought about the layout of the island before he looked up.

Ah. He had a good idea as to where she went.

Leora hadn't known that she was up there in the Great Tenrou Tree for so long until she opened her eyes and day had turned into night. She briefly looked up at the sky, noting the constellations that were present. The evening breeze danced along her skin as she continued to sit cross legged at the top of the tree. Being up this high, the only beings that disturbed her were the birds that occasionally flew by, chirping to their nestmates. She breathed in the fresh air before closing her eyes and concentrating once more. She was so absorbed in her meditation that she didn't notice the dragon slayer's arrival until she felt his back press up against her own as he sat down behind her. He didn't speak, only opting to give her the extra boost by flowing some of his own magic through the Bond to her. Even now, she was still not used to the small tingle that rose up her spine every time his magic was transferred over.

When he arrived at the top of the Tenrou Tree, Laxus didn't know whether to reprimand the dragon for not paying attention to her surroundings or be happy that she was comfortable around them enough that she didn't need to always be on her guard. He decided not to bother her and simply provided the extra encouragement as he sat behind her. He looked up to the stars above them as he focused on the magic around them. For him it was easy to sense the concentrated Ethernano in the air, but he knew it would be much more difficult for someone like Leora who had no experience whatsoever with the particle before this.

Using the small amount of the dragon slayers magic as a base, Leora focused once more. She drowned out all that was around her except for the warmth against her back. Suddenly she felt something, tiny particles of magic brushing around her body, urging her to let them in. At first she panicked, but Laxus sent another wave of his magic to calm her down. Her breathing evened out again and one by one she felt the particles of Ethernano enter her body to fill the empty void inside. It wasn't much at first, but it was enough to put a smile on her face. She knew the dragon slayer could sense her happiness because she could sense his own replicated through the Bond, followed by a small bit of pride.

They remained silent for a couple moments more, simply choosing to bask in her success as well as each other's warmth. Leora then looked down through the tree branches to notice the Raijinshuu doing some late night training on their own. Flashes of green, black and yellow could be seen from the ground below. Her eyes unknowingly softened as she watched. It seemed that Laxus had noticed her change in mood, since he started to turn towards her, but she stopped his movement when she began to speak.

"Dragon slayer..." Leora started. Guess she wasn't used to using his name either.

Laxus chuckled, leaning his back against hers again. "Yes, Sunshine?"

She paused for a moment, still watching the others practicing below, before she continued. "What's it like to have nakama?"

Laxus snorted at her seemingly ridiculous question. "What are you talking about Sunshine, you already have nakama."

"That's different. You guys already treated me like nakama, but-

"But you weren't ready." Laxus interrupted. He had his arms folded in front of his chest as he waited from the dragoness to answer.

"Hai." She found it weird how he was able to tell what she was thinking even though their Bond wasn't strong enough for that yet.

"Why is that?" He asked bluntly. Laxus knew he was treading on thin ice, but he had to ask.

Leora flinched. Her mouth opened to respond, but abruptly closed. Why was she suddenly so willing to share so much today? Was it the residual high from finally filling her magic vessel, or the comforting warmth from his back…No. It was definitely the residual high. But she figured there was no harm in telling the dragon slayer…

"Having humans as friends is not worth the pain," she whispered into the wind.

"The pain?"

"For you, fifty, one hundred years may seem like a lifetime, but for someone like me, who is supposed to live forever, it soon becomes a blink of an eye." Her eyes drifted up to the stars in the sky, which seemed to give her the courage to continue. "So you enjoy those one hundred years and after that you pass away. But for me, I continue to live on beyond that. And I have to carry those memories with me."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "I think you must have guessed by now, but I was once 'friends' with Mavis and the other founding members of Fairy Tail, including your great-grandfather."

Laxus' eyes widened slightly. Despite him knowing this fact already, hearing her say it reminded him of the difference between her and him. Somehow he already knew where this conversation was going.

"I was only with them for a short period of time, but it was some of the happiest years of my life," Leora reflected with a pained smile. "But when Mavis…left…it changed everything." She clenched her fists as they laid on top of her lap. "I was brought back to the reality of what it meant to have humans as friends…as family. I held on for a couple more years, but when Yuri died…it was the last straw. It hurt so much that I decided I didn't want to see the rest of them pass." She let go of the breath she didn't even know she was holding. "So I decided to hide any evidence that I was ever part of Fairy Tail and opted to simply go to 'sleep'."

Laxus could feel the sadness radiating through the Bond and it made his own heart clench. But he wouldn't dare interrupt her now. Not when this was the longest she's ever spoken to him.

"I wanted to wake up from suspended animation long after all of them had passed away. I wasn't expecting to wake up so soon, but as fate would have it I did. To someone from Fairy Tail binding me to him of all things," she chuckled, but there was still pain evident in her voice. "The pain was too fresh still so I decided to lock out any of these feelings. So for the longest time I never considered having humans as nakama again. But then you guys had to barge into my life and change all that, spouting nonsense about living for the present…"

Laxus sent reassuring waves of his magic through the Bond, hoping to calm her. After a couple of moments, he asked his one question.

"Well, are you ready now?" His deep voice pierced through the silence.

Leora froze for a moment before turning her body around to face his back, but she used her hands to prevent him from doing the same. Laxus could sense her hesitation through the Bond. She looked fondly down at the Raijinshuu once more before coming back up to stare at the back of the dragon slayer's head as he continued to look forward, patient. Her fingers curled against his back. She took a deep breath.

"Yes. I think I am."

Leora could feel though the Bond that the dragon slayer was pleased with her answer. He didn't respond, but he didn't have to. After a couple of minutes, Laxus decided to continue the conversation, since they had made such progress tonight.

"What was my great-grandfather like?" Laxus asked curiously.

Leora let out a small laugh. "Yuri? He was stubborn, lacked patience and was overall…quite annoying. Kind of like you. You too actually look quite similar now that I think about it."

"OI," Laxus retorted as he turned around to face her finally. He was shocked to find her with a soft smile on her face.

She continued. "But he was also kind, cheerful and cared dearly for his nakama."

"Ah. Well that's nothing like me then." She looked at him with her head tilted, confused. "I'm the kind of person that started a war within the guild and pitted comrades against one another…"

"Well, did anyone die?" she asked.

He looked away from her sharp gaze and odd question. "No-"

"Well, that means you're already a million times better off than me," Leora said and she meant it. Laxus immediately looked back towards the dragoness in slight shock. Though realistically speaking he should not be surprised. She was a dragon, something that he found himself forgetting sometimes. It shouldn't surprise him that she's killed someone before. And for some reason, he couldn't find it in himself to dislike her for it…

He still wasn't quite reassured by her comment, but realizing how late it was, Laxus moved to get up. "I'm calling it a night. Are you coming down too?"

Leora glanced up at him before shaking her head. "No…I'm going to meditate a little more."

Laxus looked down at her softly. "Alright. Don't overdo it." With that he jumped off the Tenrou Tree towards the ground in a flash of lightning.

Leora stayed still for a couple of minutes after the dragon slayer left before once again crossing her legs together and placing her hands down to meditate. The dragon slayer had helped her with the initial absorption of the magic into her body, but she knew it wasn't enough. There was something…missing. Her mind drifted back into her memories as her eyes closed.

 _The soft voice of the black mage drifted back towards her. "There's one more important thing. To use magic, it takes more than just transforming the magic power in your body. There's something else that is indispensable. That is…the strength of a wizard's feelings."_

" _Strength of feelings?" The little girl had asked._

" _Yes." Zeref had responded. "Unless you have strong feelings in your heart and draw upon them, it won't be easy to employ any magic."_

Strength of feelings…Leora tried to focus on that concept as she continued to absorb more of the particles into her body. She thought about the faces of her…nakama. Both old and new. She let the feelings of happiness flow into her…but it wasn't enough.

Were those feelings not strong enough for her? She dug deeper within herself, trying to find a feeling strong enough for her to be able to transform the magic power that was now inside her. With her search, she made the mistake of opening up the Pandora's box of emotions that she had caged up for so long. She was suddenly hit with feelings of pain, loss, desperation. Darker particles of Ethernano now surrounded the dragoness, fighting to enter her body.

Desperation quickly led to fear…anger…the need to become stronger. Yes. She needed to become stronger. This was what she did all this for. What she was born for. To become strong. To defeat. No. To kill _him_. She found herself grasping onto the one feeling that has been clinging onto her heart for the past four hundred years.

Hatred.

Her eyes sprung open as she felt the magic swirling angrily around her, concentrating over her right hand that was closed into a tight fist. When she couldn't hold it back anymore her hand sprung open and the magic burst around her in a small black shockwave.

Breathing heavily, having completely exhausted what little magic reserve she managed to gather, she let out a choked cry as she glanced all around her. The leaves…the branches of the Great Tenrou Tree where she had been sitting…

Had all perished. Dead.

She found herself letting out a pained chuckle as she fell backwards on the bed of dead leaves, the sickening crunch making her flinch. Her bright golden hair contrasted harshly against the dull garden of black. She reached her arm out in front of her, watching as the residual tendrils of black danced along her hand until they finally dissipated. For a while, all that could be heard was the sound of her heaving breathing.

How _ironic_ that this would come back to haunt her. Of all the kinds of magic she could've shown an affinity for.

It had to be magic of the black arts…

Death magic…

Her chuckles escalated until all that was heard that night was the sound of pained hysterical laughter resonating from the top of the Great Tenrou Tree.

* * *

 _They had been walking for an hour now, her hand still in his as he led them further away from the burning dungeon. He looked down at the little blonde who was walking beside him in her bare feet._

" _Little Dragon, you still haven't told me your name," He mentioned as he shifted the boy he was carrying._

 _She suddenly stopped walking causing him to pause as well. He watched the hesitation flicker through her eyes._

 _He looked down towards her, his eyes gentle. "Little one. What's your name?"_

 _When she continued to hesitate, he gave her a small smile of encouragement._ _"Don't you trust me?" It wouldn't do well if his little dragon didn't trust him._

" _I do!" she immediately shouted. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with certainty. Her voice rang out to him._

" _My name is Leora."_

 _He waited to see if she would say anything more, but when she didn't he gave her a small smile, letting go of her hand to ruffle her hair._

" _Leora…like the light from the sun." He glanced behind them to see the small black trail of dead grass and foliage that trailed behind the little blonde dragon as they had walked. It contrasted harshly against the livelier green surrounding it._

 _"How…ironic."_

 _He watched as her brows furrowed slightly._

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** ** _It had taken a while to get their three months at Tenroujima as well as the explanation of the Bond to flow right. It was longer than I thought so I pushed it onto the next chapter, which happens to be more...sour than normal, if you get what I mean. It was so hard to try to keep everyone in character, so I apologize if anyone ever goes OOC._** ** _Also just in case you were wondering, no she does not have the same curse as Zeref._**

 ** _Once again thank you guys so much for all the lovely reviews, favs and follows! It makes me happy every time I see them._**

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	13. Arc II-13: The darkness within

**Chapter 13**

She glanced all around her, painfully recognizing the dull black ring of dead grass and leaves as her breathing calmed down. The only sound in the forest was the cold wind as it blew through the clearing. She yelped when a lone bird suddenly dropped from the sky in front of her. Dead.

 _Not again…_

She growled in frustration, punching a nearby tree only to cause it to perish as well in a wave of darkness. It's been a week since the 'incident' in the Great Tenrou Tree and her situation still hasn't improved remotely. Not wanting another episode to occur, she had been leaving her den during night hours to work on her magic. Each night she would find a new location and attempt to conjure her magic from within. She would attempt to concentrate on the dark emotions whirling inside of her, in hopes of finding some way to control it. So far as the evidence suggested, she has made little progress. In fact, it only seemed to get worse as her ability to fill her magic container increased.

She ran a hand through her long golden hair as she collected her thoughts. It had taken her a lot of time and effort to convince the dragon slayer that she was incapable of conjuring magic. At first he was unconvinced, given the fact that he was there when she was first able to absorb the Ethernano into her body. But after what happened on top of the Tenrou Tree after he had left, she was adamant on keeping her magic a secret. She already knew that this had permanently changed her in all the wrong ways. She didn't want to know or hear what he would think of her if he were to find out that she had an affinity for the black arts.

For magic that only caused death and demise.

* * *

Laxus dodged another slash at his body before throwing a punch in Leora's direction. She simply backflipped to dodge before jumping in for another stab with her lightning created sword.

"So, will I be able to form swords too?" Laxus asked with a raised brow as he dodged the stab.

Leora scoffed as she went in with another swing. "No. You'd have to be one with nature to be able to control lightning like _I_ do." The dragon slayer easily dodged the sword. "Besides, I didn't think you had an affinity for weapons. You seem like the type to fight with bare hands." As soon as she mentioned that, a lightning infused fist came towards her face, only to be blocked by her crossed arms.

"It's flattering that you pay so much attention to me Sunshine," Laxus said teasingly as he jumped back slightly only to leap forward with another uppercut.

Leora snarled as she twisted away. "Don't get so cocky." She tried to stab at his body once again, but he suddenly caught her by the wrist. To her surprise, he pulled her sword sideways towards him when-

"W-What do you think you're doing?!" Leora yelped. The dragon slayer was…eating her sword?!

Laxus raised a brow as he continued to munch, looking oddly like Gajeel when he fed on iron. "If I can't make it at least I can eat it. It is made of lightning after all." He took a couple more bites feeling his magic refresh while she struggled to pull her wrist away. "Though it doesn't taste as good fresh."

Laxus chuckled as he caught the angry expression on her face. "Oi, Sunshine, relax. You look like a cat with its tail pulled."

She snarled as she materialized another sword in a flash of lightning. "That's it. No mercy."

Laxus laughed as she came at him with reignited fury. For some reason he always found it amusing to irritate her like this. Besides her swordsmanship becomes messier the angrier she gets, given the fact that it wasn't her natural method of combat. This went on for a couple more minutes, characteristic of their normal combat training sessions. The Raijinshuu had decided not to join them this afternoon, opting to train on their own.

Their doors to the Bond were closed today. After the pair had strengthened their bond to the point where they could sense each other's emotions without a physical connection, they had decided it was best to keep the channel closed until they really needed it. Constantly being able to sense each other's every emotion was a little too invasive.

Catching an opening, Leora went in for another strike. However, as she leapt in, she suddenly felt a flash of cold, harsh cruelty wash over her like a dark wave as her mind immediately blanked. While she would normally just touch the dragon slayer with her sword to indicate a hit, this time for some odd reason she mercilessly went for the kill as she ducked under one of his punches.

A clear stab to the abdomen. There was a sickening sound of flesh giving in to the sharp blade, followed by a loud grunt of pain as the sword went straight through his body.

Laxus choked, his breath shortening. "W-What the hell?!" Blood started seeping through the wound. He placed a hand over the injury to try and stop the flow. His eyes shot up towards the dragoness, trying to figure out what the hell she was doing when he caught her gaze. Her eyes were dark and cold, almost blank even. What is going on?

But as fast as the cold glint in her eyes had arrived, it left. Laxus watched as her eyes slowly widened in recognition. Immediately the sword in his lower torso dissolved in a flash of lightning. However, that only caused more blood to flow from the injury site.

"Damn it. I thought you said your lightning wouldn't hurt anymore," Laxus grunted in pain.

Leora's eyes hovered over the blood that Laxus was losing before drifting up to the mark on his left chest. Her eyes glanced up at him for only a short moment before they looked back down, but it was long enough for Laxus to catch the regret within them.

"It may have been lightning, but it was packed dense enough to be considered a solid sharp object," she whispered. "Sorry. I didn't know what came over me…let me fix that."

Laxus wasn't sure what she meant by 'fixing that' until she took a step forward and placed her hand on his black, lightning shaped mark. Leora frowned when she felt him flinch ever so slightly from her touch.

Leora sighed, "Lightning dragons, being related to the Sky Dragons, have…similar abilities." As she spoke Laxus felt warmth spread out from his mark and towards the wound in his abdomen. "Although, obviously mine aren't as strong as a true Sky Dragon's." The heat centralized around the wound and slowly Laxus felt the flesh stitch itself together. After a minute he looked down, shocked to see that the wound had completely healed.

She frowned. "Unfortunately, I can only do this for you…my Knight." Her hand went to trace lightly over where she had just stabbed him minutes ago, leaving Laxus with a slight tingle in the areas that she had touched. Quickly she looked away before shaking her head gently.

Before Laxus could respond, Leora suddenly took flight and disappeared further into the island, leaving him to wonder about her sudden changes in behaviour. For that short moment before she stabbed him, her eyes had looked dark, cold and…empty? It was something he'd never seen in the dragoness before, not even when she was still bound by the slave's mark. This was entirely something else.

But as soon as that look had arrived it had disappeared and Laxus was able to see the regret in her eyes. Was that all just an accident? Even though Laxus wanted to believe in that possibility, there was something that still felt off about the whole situation. But he didn't have enough information to go off of at the moment. And knowing the dragoness, she wouldn't want to tell him…

He looked towards the tree line where the dragoness had disappeared to. What really happened just now?

* * *

By the time she arrived back at her den Leora was shaking. What just happened? Was that caused by the dark emotions her newfound magic had brought out of her? Emotions that she had long tried to bury deep within her, hoping to never see again. She hadn't felt this cold, emotionless side of her since…

She shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. Maybe she was just hungry. She'll just go on a hunt tonight to get herself back to her senses.

* * *

Unable to sleep, Laxus laid in bed that night still thinking about the events of that afternoon. The dragoness had such a polar moment, stabbing him in one moment, while completely healing him in the next. Laxus was still surprised about that second part. He had known that the little sky dragon slayer Wendy had those healing capabilities, but he never would've imagined that Leora would be able to do that too. Even though apparently she was only able to do that for him. Exactly what else does she have up her sleeve?

The sharp scent of blood and a sudden unmanly yelp coming from outside his tent dragged Laxus out of his thoughts. Quickly exiting his tent, Laxus looked out to see a shocked and pale Bickslow, who was staring at something in front of him. Laxus turned to follow his line of sight when he caught the object of his friend's girlish cry. The dragoness was once again in what he now deemed her 'hunting mode', standing a couple of feet away in the trees. Her body, like all the other times, was naked and soaked in blood. The blood from her face and hair seemed to caress her as it trailed down her body. Dark feral eyes glowed lightly in the darkness as she stared, giving them a bloody smirk. It seems like her instinctual side had a knack for locating him every time she came out.

"O-Oi Laxus…What the hell is going on with dragon girl over there?" Bickslow asked with a wavering voice. He was still completely creeped out by the blood soaked dragon in front of him. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Laxus simply sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's animal blood. Go back to sleep Bicks, I'll deal with this." He was a little surprised that Evergreen and Freed hadn't been woken up by his teammate's girlish scream.

Bickslow turned to him with a look of disbelief. "Are you kidding me? She looks like she'll pounce any second!" Why did Laxus seem so calm about this?! Bickslow had never seen this side of the dragoness before. Sure he knew that she was powerful and dangerous, but this image of her was not something he was capable of picturing until now. But for some reason, now that he's seen it, he's unable to disassociate the blood from her body. They just seemed to fit together. Which was something that unnerved him.

Laxus groaned, knowing he had to deal with the dragoness again. "She's just finished hunting. I don't know why she's always like this, but she'll snap out of it by morning. I'll go clean her up."

Bickslow was so unsettled that he couldn't even come up with a perverted comment for that. "O-okay Boss. Yell if you need us." He took a couple steps backwards towards his tent, not wanting to show his back to the dragoness who looked like she could rip into him in seconds if she had wanted to.

Laxus only grunted in affirmation. He wouldn't need help. He trusted her not to hurt him. Even in this state.

Bickslow hesitantly walked back into his tent. He was more shaken up by this than he had let on. Especially since the appearance of her blood soaked body had brought back another image. One that he had buried away in his mind for the past two months. One from the last time he had lost control of his magic. Why did this remind him of that? Should he tell Laxus what he had seen?

Laxus turned towards the dragoness who was once again watching his every move. "Stay there. I'll be right back." He wasn't sure if this side of her could understand what he was saying, but at this point he didn't give a damn. He quickly entered his own tent and grabbed things that he thought he may need. Exiting his tent, he slowly walked towards the dragoness as if he didn't want to spook her. Her eyes continued to follow him until he stood right in front of her. "Come on." Reaching out his hand, he waited until she grabbed hold before leading her into the forest in search for the river.

He decided to take her further downstream and away from their campsite just in case his teammate got curious. Stopping right by a waterfall and some rocks, he stripped off his shirt not wanting it to get wet before wading into the water with the dragoness in tow. The blood from her body quickly diffused into the river, dying parts of it a dark red before disappearing further downstream. The water was deep enough so that it rose up to her abdomen with the ends of her crimson dyed hair resting just below its surface. This scenario reminded him of the first night he had found her like this. In the middle of the lake, surrounded by a crimson halo. Except this time he stood right in front her.

He paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to make her dunk her body into the water, but she seemed to understand what he wanted and did it all on her own.

His breath hitched as he watched what should not have been a sexual scene in front of him. Slowly she emerged from the lightly blood stained water, her golden hair giving away to sharp, cat-like eyes that fluttered open as they left the water. Her bare breasts soon followed, revealing her lightning shaped mark as she rose, her hair clinging to her body as pale pink water droplets trailed down her creamy skin.

Most of the blood had been rinsed off, but he went to work on cleaning whatever was left. He cursed his brain for making him realize how sexual this was. It wasn't like this the previous times he had cleaned up the dragoness after one of her hunts. His breathing never picked up, his throat never dried and his shorts definitely didn't get tighter…

"What the hell are you doing to me Sunshine…" He spoke to her, but he still didn't know if she understood him or not.

He hesitated for a moment when he finally reached her chest, his eyes lingering at the lightning shaped tattoo that now marked her as his Dragon. He found himself tracing over it with a rough hand as he lathered her chest with his body wash. It contrasted with the colour of her light skin, but just like her black shimmering Fairy Tail mark, it felt...right. He spent a little more time than necessary on her breasts, reminding himself of exactly how soft and supple they were. His thumb gently brushed over a nipple when his eyes suddenly shot up towards hers, which had also widened slightly in confusion. This time there was no mistaking it. He smirked as he did it again only to elicit a light hiss from her. Despite being dampened by the water; the scent was unmistakable.

She was aroused.

It was very slight, but he deemed that as a small victory for himself given all the times she had managed to elicit a reaction out of him. He wasn't going to deny the physical attraction he had towards her anymore. Realistically speaking, who wouldn't be attracted to that smoking body of hers? Or her electrifying personality, confident demeanor or-

He stopped himself immediately. He was not going to go there.

However, apparently the dragoness wasn't going to stand by and let him fondle her anymore. Instead, within seconds he felt himself being pushed roughly against one of the large rocks along the river bed. He looked down at the blonde who was a head shorter than him only to see her sharp golden eyes staring back at him. The predatory glint she had the last time was gone, only to be replaced by something more…playful?

For once he decided to play along. "See something you like Sunshine?" His brow rose and he gave her a perverted grin. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but he was too far along now to stop. He could already feel the strain against his shorts.

Returning his gesture with a seductive smirk or her own, she released him from her prison as her gaze drifted down to his chest. She proceeded to similarly trace his lightning mark except…with her tongue. He hissed when he felt the wet appendage trail down his chest and bit back a groan as he felt her fangs grazing his skin. His whole body stiffened when he felt the first nip, right at the bottom of the mark. But she didn't stop there. In fact, she started a slow exploration of his body. And by slow, he really meant slow. If it wasn't for the continuously scorching hot weather that surrounded the island he was sure he would've caught a cold. But given the warm weather and the added…stimulation, he was beyond hot. His shorts have grown painfully tight by now.

His breathing had picked up more than he was proud to admit by the time she reached his lower abdomen, having touched, licked and bitten everything above that. He was almost certain that there would be marks by the next morning. Why the hell he hadn't stopped this by now he didn't know. If the rational side of her knew he was letting her do this, he was sure he would be murdered. But at that moment his brain was not functioning. In fact, he was so distracted that he didn't notice the gentle swishing in the water until he felt something brush up against his clothed groin.

"What the-" His eyes shot wide open as he tried to figure out what had touched him because he was very sure her two hands were still on his chest. He saw her look up at him with another smirk before he felt it again. His breath caught in his throat as he felt whatever it was brush more purposefully against his hard member, sliding upwards until it reached up and into the waistband his shorts before curling around-

"Is that your tail?!"

The sounds of loud splashing were drowned out by the crashes from the nearby waterfall as he quickly burst out of the water, having been woken up from the earlier trance he in. Intending to make a run for the camp, he didn't make it very far until he was tackled back onto a large smooth rock. He growled up at her as her smaller form managed to cage him to the rock, her long hair dripping wet as it draped around them. He was about to buck her off of him when he felt her fangs at his neck. She sent a warning growl of her own as he felt the smallest prick of her sharp teeth against his skin. He willed his brain to ignore the soft mounds that were now pressed firmly against his chest, but it decided to betray him. While he was able to calm down his adrenaline hyped breathing he couldn't manage to slow down his rapidly beating heart. What was she thinking?! What was he thinking?! There was no way that Laxus Dreyar was going to be on the submissive. If anything he should be the one-

No. He should not be thinking of these thoughts in the first pl-

This time he couldn't hold back the low groan as she once again snaked her tail around his cock, giving it a solid pump. He had no idea when he had los this shorts. She gave him a sly grin as she built up a torturously slow rhythm with her tail. The smooth, leathery sensation around his member was entirely foreign to him, and he liked it way more than he should. Once again she trailed down his body which was now lying down on the smooth rock, timing every nip with a small flick along the slit of his cock, sending sparks throughout his entire body.

His teeth clenched tightly as he tried to keep his body under his control as he felt her breasts trail down his chest with her. But he was slowly losing the fight as all the blood from his brain had flown straight down to his member, which by now was screaming for release. And yet, the slow pace she had set and seemed hell-bent on keeping, had him dangling near the edge, but not nearly enough to push him over.

A small rumble from her chest had him looking down and into her eyes. Her golden orbs had darkened considerably and her predatory glint had returned, albeit this time it was of a different nature. She continued to stare into his eyes as her head hovered dangerously over his groin. The image itself was enough to cause his member to give another twitch. Her head was tilted up towards him, while her forearms rested on the rock to each side of his hips. Her knees were also on the smooth surface while her hips arched upwards, giving him a delicious of a view of her round ass pointed straight in the air. His eyes followed the curve of her amber coloured tail all the way to where it wrapped firmly around him.

Her pink tongue darted out to lick her supple lips right before she lowered her head and gave him a kitten lick right on the head of his cock causing his entire body to freeze up as sparks travelled from his crotch all the way up his spine. He let out a low hiss as she swirled her tongue around the head with her agonizingly slow pace while her hand subtly replaced her tail. She then proceeded to leisurely lick down the entire length of his manhood as if she were looking to discover every ridge and vein. By then she had broken eye contact and was solely focused on her exploratory mission.

All his brain wanted was for her to enclose her mouth around his member, but she wasn't giving in, opting instead to lazily trail her tongue around his balls, once again causing another shiver to run up his spine. After thoroughly exploring the twin sacks she worked her way back up his shaft.

After giving the head another small flick of her tongue, she finally granted his wish. His loud moan was drowned out by the sound of the waterfall just as she swallowed the head of his cock into her mouth, giving it an experimental suck. His hands fell to the top of her head as his hips attempted to thrust into her mouth. But he was immediately halted by a low warning growl and a small glare as her clawed hands moved to hold his hips down firmly to the rock. While the vibrations from her growl only served to heighten his arousal as it travelled down his shaft, the glint of her fang near his cock served as a good enough warning for him to remove his hands and relax his hips.

Easier said than done.

He had never felt this out of control before in a sexual encounter. No matter who he was with, he had always been the one calling the shots. Now he was under the merciless control of the vixen on top of him. What a harsh blow to his male sexuality. But as frustrating as it was for him to be in this position, he couldn't deny that the pleasure was starting to make it worthwhile. As if rewarding his obedient behavior, she looked back down and gradually took the rest of him in. He felt a small sliver of pride return to him as she seemed to have trouble taking the entire length of his member into the wet cavern of her mouth, having to use her hand to take care of the rest.

He couldn't remove his eyes from the sight of her bobbing up and down his cock, not even when she started using her tongue again, sending wave after wave of pleasure up his spine. He felt the rising crescendo of his pleasure despite the slow pace she had set. Her intoxicating scent of wild lightning mixed with a hint of her arousal was bringing him ever closer to the peak. It did not help at all that it just so happened to be tinted with the scent of _his_ body wash.

Suddenly he caught her dark golden eyes just as her mouth sank down on as much of his member as she could. The sudden combination of her piercing gaze and the reverberations of her low growl finally tipped him over the edge, plunging him deep into a mind numbing orgasm. His low groan filled the air as he released into her mouth with a shudder.

Having sucked him dry moments later, she slowly released his member as she swallowed the remainders of his release, eliciting another groan from him as her tongue darted out to catch a stray drop on the corner of her lip.

He watched with heavy breaths as she gave him a smug smirk before her wings sprouted and she flew off, leaving him completely dazed. Still riding the high of his release, he sat up on the smooth rock as his brain finally began to function again. Did what he thought just happened, happen?! A million thoughts raced through his mind as his body slowly calmed down. He let out a growl of frustration as his hands balled into fists by his side. He couldn't believe that he had let her take complete control, something he had never done with another woman before.

But then again, she wasn't exactly a woman.

* * *

Somehow, after washing up and cooling down his body in the river, Laxus had made his way back to the camp and his tent that night. Thankfully none of his teammates were awake to see the dazed state he was in. By morning, he had completely forgotten her heartless stabbing the afternoon before as his thoughts were completely surrounded by what happened later that night. Laxus stepped out of his tent with a small groan as the morning light streamed through the trees, only to be stopped by Bickslow, who was currently gaping at him like a fish.

"What the hell happened to you Laxus?" Bickslow asked as he stared at all the suspicious looking bruises on his skin. Were they what he thought they were? No…that's impossible. They would never…

Laxus looked down before cursing at himself for not noticing sooner, which only led to a bout of maniacal laughter from his blue haired friend. Bickslow had wanted to interrogate Laxus a little more, but a dark glare let him know that his friend would probably shock his ass if he continued. But his loud laughter had already attracted his two other teammates who had just exited their tents to join them.

"Laxus?!" Freed exclaimed as he practically materialized next to his leader after noticing those 'bruises'. "What happened? Are you alright? Is medical attention needed?" Freed kept on interrogating his precious Laxus-sama, not noticing the growing aura of irritation radiating from him.

Laxus grunted, trying to push Freed away from him. "I fell...into…a thorn bush." Wow. That was the worst excuse in the history of worst excuses, but that was apparently what his brain was only capable of coming up with.

"A thorn bush…really?" Evergreen asked sarcastically, clearly not believing his excuse. Bickslow only continued to laugh hysterically while his babies flew around singing 'thorn bush'. Apparently Freed had believed his terrible excuse as he quickly ran back inside his tent for some medication.

There was some rustling in the bushes before Leora casually walked out from the trees in her bikini top and shorts due to the hot weather. She looked around the surprisingly lively campsite before she noticed the dragon slayer and his strange wounds.

Raising her brow, she couldn't help but ask. "What happened to you?"

That had caused Bickslow to stop laughing. He had been so sure that Leora was the cause of the bruises that suspiciously looked like intense hickeys. Especially after Laxus had dragged her off like that last night, albeit she was covered in blood at the time. He was pretty sure that she didn't legitimately attack him either; those bruises would have been way too small.

Laxus groaned at her question, all while trying not to picture the events that had actually caused his 'injuries'.

Evergreen snickered, pushing up her glasses. "Apparently Laxus fell into a thorn bush last night."

Leora's brows furrowed. "That's odd. Thorn's don't create injuries like that." Bickslow snorted loudly at her comment. That much was obvious. "Did you run into a Curily nest? They do get quite territorial…" After that remark, both Evergreen and Bickslow were doubled over in laughter. Laxus decided enough was enough and stalked back inside his tent to grab a shirt, cursing the entire way. His mood had significantly darkened by the time he came out to continued laughter.

"So Boss, what are we doing today?" Bickslow asked, still chuckling.

A dark aura surrounded the lightning mage, growing by the second. "Running. Two laps around the entire island." Despite the fact that it wasn't really her fault, though it still kind of was, Laxus felt the need to punish the dragoness. One for never remembering the moments after she's been hunting and two for inadvertently causing this embarrassing scene in the morning.

"What?!" Leora complained. Running…why running?! What did she do to deserve this?

Laxus' voice was low as a dark glint appeared in his eyes. "It'll be more if you don't start now."

Leora grumbled as she started to run, while the rest of the Raijinshuu had already ran off, unwilling to suffer the wrath of their leader.

"Baka dragon slayer…"

* * *

The next month and a half passed by in a blur. In a very systematic fashion the rest of their days were occupied mainly by training, both physical and magical. After that one afternoon, Leora hadn't had a similar episode with the dragon slayer since. She believed it was partly due to her hunt as well as her increased training to control her magic. Even though she hadn't had any more than a couple of magic lessons from Freed, she still remembered Zeref's teachings from a hundred years ago. And even though its not quite the same, she managed to recall her own memories in watching Zeref control his curse and used that to improve the discipline over her own magic. All in all, by the end of their time on Tenroujima, Leora had a pretty decent command over her death magic.

Near the end of their stay, Leora also began willingly training with the entire group, looking to build upon her own combat skills as well as her teamwork skills with the dragon slayer. True to her promise, Leora had been quite the slave driver whenever they trained together, bringing the dragon slayer to complete physical exhaustion only to heal his wounds and start again.

For Laxus and Leora, their bond had strengthened considerably from when they first arrived, albeit they did start from nothing. While communication though the bond was still very limited, the pair were now able to sense each other's presence from large distances, which to Leora was incredible progress. Somehow they had successfully performed what Dragons and Knights would normally take a year to do within the short span of three months.

* * *

After a couple of days travel by ship, Laxus, Leora and the Raijinshuu finally returned to the guild, which was surprisingly emptier than normal that afternoon.

"Ah Laxus my boy! You've finally returned." Makarov called out to him as they entered.

"What's with the warm welcome Gramps?" Laxus asked, slightly annoyed. He was still a little dizzy from all the transportation.

"There's something important we need to discuss," Makarov said from his seat at the bar. "Gajeel! Juvia! Mira!"

The guild members that were called by the Master gathered closely by the bar. Leora walked off to the side to sit with the Raijinshuu as they watched, snatching up Lily from a nearby table along the way. She was pleasantly surprised when the little exceed didn't tremble or run away from her this time. She absentmindedly petted the black cat while she listened in.

"Since we've already sent off our first team consisting of Natsu, Erza, Lucy, Wendy and Gray-" Juvia teared up at the mention of Gray, since she was unable to be on the same team as her true love. Gajeel growled at missing his chance to be on the team. "-You lot will form Fairy Tail's B Team for the Grand Magic Games!" Makarov announced excitedly, his eyes sparkling as thought about the thirty million jewel prize.

Gajeel interjected immediately, "Are you serious?! Who the hell would want to do that?"

Laxus nodded in agreement, "I don't care who goes, but I don't like the idea of a B team." The thought of being on a B team just didn't sit right with him.

Makarov thought intently for a moment, "Then how about this. The losing team will have to do what the winning team wants for a day."

"Or to put it another way, the losing team will go through a punishment game," Pantherlily added from his seat on Leora's lap.

"Whatever-" Laxus' brain immediately conjured up an image of Natsu heeding to his every wish...

"We...want?" His thought was finished by Gajeel who was picturing Lucy in her bunny suit, forced to dance while played on his guitar in the background.

Even Mira was picturing a subdued Erza in a maid's costume, "How interesting…"

Of course, Juvia had the most colourful imagination. "Whatever we want…then that means…" Her brain was suddenly overwhelmed by the image of Gray holding her close, leaning in gently...about to kiss her. Her brain short circuited before she could finish the scene.

Given the added incentive, the chosen group 'reluctantly' agreed to enter. Though on the inside, they were very eager to win.

"Good!" Makarov said proudly. "Because I've already entered you brats in." The rest of them sweatdropped.

Laxus noticed something off, "Oi Gramps, aren't we missing someone? We need a team of five and right now I only see four."

"Ah well I originally wanted to ask Leora to join-" Makarov started. Immediately Laxus wanted to protest. Given her personality, she wouldn't know what friendly competition meant. Knowing her, she would literally be blowing the other teams out of the competition...

Makarov continued, "-But I received a special request."

Suddenly a cloaked figure walked out from the shadows in the corner of the guild.

"Mystogan?!" The rest of the guild shouted as they recognized the stranger's clothing. Leora turned to look at the new face. Even she hadn't sensed him hiding in the shadows. Who is he?

The cloaked figure spoke. "Not quite." He removed his green mask to reveal the familiar red tattoo on the right side of his face.

Laxus could already tell by his scent that this was not Mystogan. Besides, he had heard about what had happened in Edolas. Which only meant that this man was... "Jellal."

"Yes." Jellal nodded. The other guild members were confused as they wondered why the council fugitive would be here in their own guild. "You're Master has been quite understanding in allowing me to participate."

Macao spoke out. "Master! Jellal isn't even part of Fairy Tail. We're going to get disqualified."

"Nonsense!" Makarov replied. "It'll be fine…I think." The rest of the guild sweatdropped at the Master's words.

"Well if this is going to work you won' be able to remove the those the entire time," Laxus said, pointing out the many robes that the council fugitive was currently wearing to pose as Mystogan.

"I understand," Jellal said.

"Let's continue this discussion in my office, shall we?" Makarov motioned towards the back of the guild. The new Fairy Tail B team was led into the Master's office to explain the details of Jellal's arrival. However, given Leora's keen hearing, she was able to hear everything that went on inside. _What was so secretive that they had to discuss in private?_

"So why exactly are you here?" Laxus asked. "A magic competition doesn't exactly seem like your style Jellal."

"Originally I hadn't planned on attending the games, but your Master had actually suggested it after I had told him my objective," Jellal said with a small hint of a smile.

 _Objective?_

"Every year, during the Grand Magic Games, there has been a strange magic power that has been present," Jellal started to explain. "I want to identify the source of that magic."

"Strange power?" Juvia asked.

Jellal nodded. "It's magic bares the same presence as Zeref's." _Zeref?!_

"Zeref?" Laxus asked. He looked warily at the closed door to the office, knowing a certain dragoness was definitely listening in to their conversation by now.

Jellal nodded again. "Yes. If we can identify it's source it may give a clue for tracking down Zeref." _Tracking down Zeref? What does he want with Zeref?_

"Gihi. So that's why you want to join our team," Gajeel added.

"Exactly," Jellal confirmed. "This is the most efficient way."

"Well…Why not?" Laxus commented with his arms out to the side. "Wouldn't hurt to have a former Wizard Saint on our team. It'll make it easier for us to win."

"Exactly!" Makarov shouted excitedly while standing on top of his desk. The other Fairy Tail B members were already picturing their punishments for the A team.

"Thank you so much," Jellal said with a bow. _Hmm…who is this man?_

* * *

Leora had stiffened when _his_ name was mentioned, but aside from slightly suffocating the poor cat in her arms, it went unnoticed by her companions sitting at the same table. Another thought was still on her mind.

Why would _he_ be at this magic competition?

Zeref…Even though she had told Mavis that she hadn't wanted to return to the black mage, her heart couldn't help but clench at the thought of potentially seeing him again.

It has been so long…

* * *

When Laxus walked out of his grandfather's office with the rest of the B Team, he immediately noticed Leora deep in thought. He knew that she would've heard the conversation in that room. His thoughts immediately went back to the conversation he had overheard between the dragoness and the First Master three months ago regarding the black mage. It was something he had placed in the back of his mind since the Bonding, but now it had resurfaced.

What exactly is her connection to Zeref? He really wanted to ask, but despite them becoming somewhat friends within these past three months he knew that she was still refraining from sharing things with him.

Like the nature of her magic.

He knew that she was hiding it from him. Why? Well he'd have to figure that out later. But first, it was time to concentrate on the Grand Magic Games which starts in less than three days. It will take about a day's train ride to reach Crocus, he noted with an internal groan, which meant they would leave for the capital city in the morning.

He looked to the dragoness, who was still zoned out. "Sunshine." Having caught her attention, he watched as she looked up at him. "Come. We need to pack."

"Ah," Leora said absentmindedly, before getting up and following the dragon slayer out of the guild. The other guild members looked on with their jaws dropped. When had the dragoness been so…complacent when with Laxus?

It's amazing what three months were able to change.

* * *

The clouds had covered the light of the moon that night, but with her vision, the lack of illumination made no difference. The man was near, she could smell him. It hadn't taken her long to track him by scent after she had snuck out of the house while the dragon slayer was asleep. Within moments she burst into the open clearing within the forest on the edge of town, noting three cloaked figures who quickly turned to face her.

The one in the middle spoke in a deep voice. "Leave us."

"But Jellal!" A woman's voice shouted out from beside the man. She sounded concerned. Smart woman. She should be.

The man's arm shot out to block the woman from approaching her. "Meredy. I'll be fine. I'll meet up with you later. Ultear. Take Meredy away."

A softer voice came from the last cloaked figure to the man's right. "Hai." The two women quickly made their way out of the clearing and into forest.

The man spoke out to her, "You were present in Fairy Tail today." The man lifted his hood to reveal the same face she had seen this afternoon. "What business do you have with me?" This 'Jellal' was quite a confident man she noted.

"Jellal was it?" she asked, sarcastically. "Let me ask you another question instead. What business do you have with Zeref?"

His eyes had widened after her mention of the black mage. "What connection do you have with Zeref?"

"That's a story that would take hundreds of years to tell," she laughed mockingly. Lightning started to spark around her as her mood suddenly darkened. "Now, I believe I asked you a question. I won't ask it again." Her voice had lowered to accentuate her promised threat.

Jellal stood firm. "To kill him. Of course." His words were spat out like poison, displaying the level of hatred he held for the dark mage. For the man who had ruined his life.

She stared intently at the man before her.

She whispered, "I see." And with that she turned back around to leave the clearing.

Jellal called out to her retreating form, "Rumours have it that Zeref had a dragon. One who reigned just as much chaos as he did in the old times."

She paused in her step, but only turned her head slightly. "Rumours are often incorrect." Turning her head back, she continued to walk back into the forest towards her house, leaving the man in the clearing to his own thoughts.

 _Zeref didn't have a dragon._

* * *

 _Maniacal childish laughter reached her ears as she watched the boy run towards her, his back facing the burning flames and ruins of another village._

" _Boy that was fun! We were so good back there!" The boy with raven blue hair exclaimed joyfully as he looked up to her. His piercing green eyes glimmered with mirth and excitement. "Right? Hime-sama." His voice was playful. As always._

"S _top calling me that," she said, ruffling his hair when he came to stand in front her._

"Hey _!" The boy moved his head away with a pout. "I'll stop calling you that when you stop treating me like a child!" His hands were placed on his hips._

 _She giggled, trying to reach for his hair again. "That's because you_ are _a child."_

" _No I'm not!" The boy huffed. He looked like he was about to add to his argument, but something else caught his attention. Or rather someone else. "Ah Zeref!" She turned around just as the boy ran past her to note the dark mage standing in the distance. With a flap of her wings, she arrived next to the mage just as the boy reached him as well._

" _Zeref!" The boy exclaimed, looking up at the dark-haired man. "Did you see? It was amazing! Their screams were incredible!"_

 _His soft voice was always so soothing to her. "I did." He gave them a smile as he ruffled the boy's hair._

" _OI. Why do you guys always do that!" The boy huffed, while trying to put on a menacing face._

 _She laughed. "That's not scary at all." She turned to face her savior. Even after all this time she never failed to remember that fact. "I think we did better this time!"_

 _The boy stuck out his tongue at her remark, "How can someone get better at destroying things? It's just destroying things."_

" _Baka. Of course you can get better at it. More fire, more ruins, more…screaming. It makes it much scarier that way," she said as she smiled up at the black mage. "Right Zeref?"_

" _Hai, hai," Zeref replied with soft smile. They all turned to bask in the warm light from the large village fire as the listened to the sounds of human screams in the background._

" _Very scary."_

* * *

 ** _A/N: Too much? Feel free to let me know, I can always tone it back down lol. I kinda had a little too much fun writing that waterfall/river scene. It's my first time writing a scene like that so forgive me if it wasn't any good. I'm welcome to any constructive feedback._**

 ** _Also, just to let you guys know, my term has once again started for the summer, so I may be slower to update depending on my workload. But I will try my best! Thanks to all those that have supported my story so far!_**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	14. Arc II-14: 'Not a date'

**Chapter 14**

The train to Crocus was exceptionally packed and rowdy, given the entirety of Fairy Tail had decided to travel to the capital city together. Almost every cabin was full, but somehow, Leora and Laxus ended up with one to themselves. Mostly due to the fact that no one else had wanted to sit with the tall and intimidating dragon slayer as well as a grumpy dragoness on an entire day's train ride. So that left the Raijinshuu and Leora, but they quickly figured out before the train even started that the five of them would not fit into one tiny compartment, given the size of the three men. So Bickslow and Evergreen dragged an unwilling Freed into a separate cart, but not without given Laxus a tiny wink.

After sending Bickslow and Evergreen a dark glare, Laxus glanced over at Leora who was still slightly grouchy at being woken up so early by the Raijinshuu this morning. They had insisted on heading to the train together with their leader, and had stumbled into his house this morning to help Laxus pack up his things, not that he needed any. Evergreen had also decided on her own to help Leora pack, since she figured that without her, the dragoness wouldn't have brought any 'human clothes' to Crocus. Which was a fairly accurate assumption. Somehow that ended up with the brunette dressing the dragoness as well. Which was why instead of her usual cropped corset with long pants, Leora was now sporting a light blue deep v-neck halter sundress, which managed to show off her lightning shaped mark on the inner side of her left breast. Laxus had no idea how Evergreen had managed to even get that on the dragoness in the first place. But, after a couple of perverted comments from Bickslow, which had gone unacknowledged by the blonde, they had set off.

As soon as the train whistle started, Leora's attention was oddly focused on Laxus. In fact, she was so focused that her face was inches away from his own and she was practically off her seat across from him.

Slightly bothered by her sudden closeness, Laxus leaned further back into his own seat and proceeded to send her an inquisitive glare.

"What do you think you're doing?" Laxus asked warily. He didn't quite like the way she was looking at him at the moment.

Leora had an innocent smile on her face. "Waiting." In fact, it was a little too innocent.

"For wha-mmph!" The instant the train jerked into motion, Laxus' face turned a pale green and his stomach lurched. His eyes went completely wide with shock. His motion sickness had _never_ been this bad before. What the hell?!

His ears caught the mid tones of her light laughter. "I was wondering when it would show up. I thought it would happen on the ship ride back, but I guess it didn't really kick in until now."

"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked through gritted teeth as another wave of nausea hit him.

Leora smirked as she shrugged her shoulders, "Last perk of being bonded to a dragon. Congratulations on being a true dragon slayer."

Laxus was only able to let out another groan as his stomach tied itself up in knots. Is this what Natsu experiences every single time he gets in transportation? Goddamn. His eyes closed momentarily as another wave of nausea passed through him. One eye peaked open at the dragoness who had now sat back down, before a quick thought flitted through his mind.

"Aren't you supposed to be claustrophic?..." Laxus asked as the nausea had him by the ropes. At the moment, he was slightly regretting the fact that he was a dragon slayer.

"It's cleithrophobia," Leora corrected him curtly. "Entirely different. And no, I guess not. I've realized that if I really wanted to, I could just destroy the train to escape. So now I'm not afraid anymore." The logic was entirely twisted, as evidenced by the dragon slayer's raised brow, but it was what helped her get through the train rides. Though, what she didn't mention was the strange fact that his presence somehow dampened the effects of her phobia.

The pair spent the half of the train ride in relative mutual silence. Mostly due to Laxus' inability to talk, now that his motion sickness was amplified. Occasionally, Leora would step out to join Team Natsu in their booth, but they didn't have much room since Natsu was sprawled out on his own bench being comforted by Lucy. Or he was passed out. She wasn't exactly sure. Erza might have knocked him out to make the train ride more comfortable. She wondered if she should do that with Laxus. His constant groaning was starting to get on her nerves…

The blonde dragoness had also visited Levy, which was more entertaining than she thought it would be as soon as she saw who she shared her compartment with. She received an annoyed stare from one iron dragon slayer as soon as she entered, but of course the blue haired mage quickly welcomed her in. Immediately placing the blunette unnecessarily into her lap, she settled in nicely across from the black-haired mage and exceed. She still caught the residual hints of iron laced within the Solid Scrip mage's scent, which hinted strongly to her what the dragon slayer's intentions were. But, seeing how he still hasn't made a move, she didn't see what the harm was in having a little fun. And so, she spent a good hour snuggling up to Levy as she continued to read, all while sending mocking stares towards the iron dragon slayer. Even though she was female, having an unwanted dragon's scent all over one's beloved was bound to bother anyone with dragon instincts. The threatening growls emanating from the dragon slayer made it all the more amusing. Though, she did notice that Gajeel didn't have any signs of motion sickness. Perhaps it hasn't kicked in yet?

Regardless, she eventually let the pair sit in peaceful silence. She even happened to steal Pantherlily away from them for a couple of hours, hiding him away in her cabin. He, of course, was more than happy to join her.

* * *

It had been late evening when Dragon and Knight found themselves alone in their compartment. Once again, Leora's laughter drifted to Laxus' ears as he turned a darker shade of green. If he wasn't so sick at the moment, he would have noted how light and cheerful it sounded. A far cry from how she used to act around him.

Suddenly the train lurched, throwing Leora further back into her seat. Stunned for a moment, the dragoness glanced forward only to find the dragon slayer absent. it was then that she registered a weight on her lap. When she heard a low groan, she slowly tilted her head to look downwards. Almost immediately the static in the air increased.

"Get. Off," Leora demanded. Her voice was flat and low, quite similar to the tone Erza used every time she caught Natsu and Gray fighting. She was very tempted to electrocute the dragon slayer, whose head was currently nestled in her lap. Additionally, his hands just so happened to have landed on either side of her, while the rest of his body was on the floor of the compartment.

Laxus, after noticing his current predicament, had decided to exact revenge on the dragoness who had made fun of him for most of the day. He decided to pull the rest of his body up from the floor and rest it next to Leora on her bench, his head never leaving its position on her lap. Instead it simply shifted so that he was staring across the compartment towards his now empty seat. He didn't dare look up towards the thunder dragon.

Leora placed her hands on his body, prepared to push him off.

"Ah. Watch out Sunshine. Wouldn't want to create any sudden movements," Laxus taunted, amusement evident in his tone. "I'm motion sick remember. I might just throw up and ruin this pretty little dress of yours. Think of all the trouble you'd get into with Evergreen." The dragoness shivered. As much as she didn't want to admit it, the Fairy mage was quite terrifying when it came to clothes. She didn't even want to imagine what would happen if she got something ruined. The dragoness took a deep breath to calm herself down, reducing the amount of static in the air.

Laxus was amazed that Leora had actually believed him, though most of it wasn't exactly a lie. He had intended to return to his seat, but his current position was surprisingly more comfortable than he thought it would be. Enough so that he wasn't quite willing to move anymore. Given that she hadn't pushed him off, he was perfectly happy to stay right here in her lap. If he hadn't been so focused on keeping his stomach from inverting on itself, his brain would've conjured up some not so innocent images regarding his current position.

Leora didn't know what to do. On one hand, she wanted the dragon slayer off of her as this was well beyond her comfort zone, but on the other hand, the longer he stayed there the more it didn't seem to matter anymore. Besides, this what friends did for one another…right? Her mind recalled how Lucy had allowed Natsu to rest his head on her lap. And _they_ were friends.

She sighed. What harm would there be. However, looking down, she suddenly realized that she had no idea where to put her right arm as the dragon slayer's body now occupied the rest of her bench. She stiffened as he let out another groan when the train hit a bump. Again, her mind flashed back to her memory of seeing Lucy comforting Natsu earlier in the afternoon. She looked down and exhaled.

She was only doing this so that he doesn't throw up on her.

Laxus stiffened when he suddenly felt an arm rest over his body and soft fingers thread through his hair. He bit back a moan when those same fingers begin to give the side of his head a gentle massage. He opened his mouth to speak-

"Don't say anything," Leora commanded. She placed her other elbow along the windowsill and rested her chin on the palm of her open hand. She then proceeded to simply stare out the window, unwilling to look down at the dragon slayer.

Laxus smirked from his place on her lap, but heeded to her command. He stared across the booth to his now empty bench as her fingers continued to massage his scalp. Surprisingly, it made him feel less nauseated. Eventually, he felt himself being lulled to sleep by the soft ministrations as well as the soothing scent of wild lightning.

A little after Laxus had fallen asleep, Leora too allowed herself to drift into slumber as the train continued to travel through the night.

* * *

Leora woke up early the next morning to faint snickering originating from outside her compartment. Slowly blinking away her drowsiness, she turned to locate the origin of the sound. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she took in the three faces of the Raijinshuu plastered to the cabin window, two of which were staring at her with considerably creepy smiles on their faces. Their snickering grew louder as they realized she was awake. Confused, she gradually took in her surroundings before coming to a realization that something was resting on her lap. _Oh no._ She slowly glanced down, afraid to confirm her suspicions. When her eyes finally settled on her right hand, which was still on top of the head of blonde hair that undoubtedly belonged to the dragon slayer, she let out a very uncharacteristic yelp.

Immediately she shot straight up, unceremoniously knocking the dragon slayer to the ground.

"OI! What the hell was that for?!" Laxus groaned, his voice still heavy from sleep as he was jolted awake by his fall to the train floor.

"Nothing!" Leora then noticed that the train had stopped. They must have arrived.

To confirm her suspicions, Bickslow slid open the door.

"We're hereeeee," he slurred, before giving Leora a wink. His babies decided to join in on the fun. "Here! Here!" The dragoness simply huffed and exited the booth, pushing through the Raijinshuu, who continued to laugh.

Bickslow looked down at his leader who was still on the floor. "Had a nice sleep Boss?" He flashed the lightning mage a perverted grin, equipped with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

Laxus growled, his cheeks stained with a tiny hint of pink. "Nothing happened." Did he actually sleep on her lap the entire night? What was his nauseous mind thinking? Or better yet, why hasn't she murdered him by now? Bickslow and Evergreen only laughed even harder upon hearing their leader's response. The other train riders only looked on in confusion at the two Fairy Tail members who were holding their arms to their stomachs.

Freed on the other hand was fuming red. How preposterous! Laxus never rested himself on _his_ lap! How dare she take advantage of an unwell Laxus like that! He proceeded to quickly aid his friend up from the train floor.

By the time Laxus and the Raijinshuu made their way out of the crowded train, Leora was already far ahead of them, about to join the large crowd entering the city.

"Sunshine! Where do you think you're going?" Laxus shouted when he exited the train. Of course, somehow he ended up having to carry both of their luggage.

Leora turned around. "Into the city?" she replied, as if it were obvious. She didn't even need to shout back. She knew the dragon slayer would be able to hear her from all the way by the train. "I'm going on ahead!" She turned back around, weaving herself through the crowd. She was quite excited to take a look around the capital city of Crocus, having never been to such a populated city before. Throughout her travels with Zeref, they always avoided crowded cities like this.

For obvious reasons of course.

"OI! Don't run off by yourself!" Laxus growled in frustration before turning to the Raijinshuu. Bickslow and Evergreen already had calculating smiles on their faces.

"Don't worry Laxus! We'll take care of your luggage," Evergreen smirked.

"Ya Boss, you better hurry up if you want to catch up with dragon girl," Bickslow laughed. His babies chiming in. "Hurry up! Hurry up!"

Laxus completely missed the insinuations made by the two Fairy Tail mages. As he had already lost sight of the dragoness, Laxus only grunted his gratitude before turning around to head off. He didn't want to deal with the aftermath of having a lone dragon on the loose in the middle of a crowded city...

"Ah Laxus!" Freed shouted, causing Laxus to halt momentarily. Freed had wanted to follow after his leader, but the other two were currently holding him back. "Don't forget. You must be back to Honeybone Lodge by midnight. It's in the regulations that the Master had us read."

"Got it." Laxus replied, before stalking off into the crowd in search of his blonde dragon. Now where the hell did she go? He couldn't catch her scent in the crowd…

* * *

Leora took it all back. She didn't want to see the capital city anymore. There were so many humans, pets, shops and flowers all around her. The overwhelming scents and overbearing sounds were too much for her to take in all at once. Somehow in the chaos, she was even ambushed by a group of children who insisted that they braid her 'long pretty hair' with flowers. If they weren't only children, she was sure she would've electrocuted them for touching her.

After what seemed like forever, Leora found herself in the middle of a square next to a water fountain. The sounds of screaming children, bargaining shopkeeps and overall chatter of the humans in the area was all too much for her ears to handle. Leora squeezed her eyes shut and was about to place her hands over her ears when she suddenly felt something being slid on top of them. Almost instantly all the sounds around her were muffled to a manageable level. Her hands went up to her ears to feel what was over them, before recognizing what they were. Turning around in surprise, her eyes caught the annoyed look on the dragon slayer's face.

"I thought I told you not to run off," Laxus said in his baritone voice, leaning down so his face was level with hers. "See what happens when you don't listen to me?" It hadn't taken him long to find the dragon. She stood out in the ordinary crowd. That and he remembered that he was able to sense her location through the Bond.

Leora huffed and turned her head away. "…I was excited." His Sound Pods paired with her blonde hair and light blue dress made for an odd combination, which only served to amuse him even more. By the way, when did she get those flowers in her hair?

Laxus chuckled as he straightened up, trying not to note how the flowers accented the golden hue of her hair. "Never been to the big city?" The glare she proceeded to send him through her slitted eyes made her look like a cat that had her tail pulled.

She turned to take a better look at her surroundings now that all the sounds weren't bothering her anymore. "No…I tended to avoid places like this." The smells were still a little overwhelming, but she figured she'd get used to it soon enough. It was mostly floral scents she was taking in. The city was amazingly full of flowers.

"Well, where to then?" Laxus asked.

She whipped back around with bright wide eyes. She was allowed to continue to explore?

Laxus inwardly groaned. Why did she have to look so…cute today? It was definitely the dress' fault. That blue halter sundress was changing his entire impression of her today. Her normal attire made her more…dominant. He cursed his brown haired teammate as he forced himself to look only towards her eyes…which only made it worse. Her bright eyes that reflected the sun only seemed to draw him even more. His breath hitched when noticed her soft pink lips drifting upwards to form a wide smile, her sharp fangs glinting in the warm sunlight.

It was the first genuine smile she's ever given him. Laxus' heart skipped a beat as he felt her hand close around his own, before she turned around and started pulling him out of the square. Somehow the dragon slayer found himself being 'reluctantly' dragged through the streets of Crocus by Leora. After a while, he actually started to have fun, even though it was mostly in teasing the dragoness about all the things she was getting unnecessarily impressed by. It amazed him how much her personality has changed. Before, she took on the unknown with wary eyes and mistrust. Now, those same eyes glimmered with curiousity as she practically skipped from booth to booth.

About an hour into their exploration of the capital city, Laxus found himself getting hungry so he pulled the dragoness over to the first restaurant that he found appealing.

Which is how Leora found herself sitting across from the dragon slayer at a quaint little table, with only a bowl of fruit while the man in front of her ordered everything there was on the menu. Surprisingly enough, this had become quite the regular occurrence for the two, since Leora never ate any 'human' food. As she sat quietly in her seat, her eyes gazed down towards the small bracelet that wrapped around her left wrist. With her right hand, she absentmindedly played with it was she waited for the dragon slayer to wolf down his meal.

After a while, Laxus found it hard not to notice Leora playing with her bracelet. "Oi, is it that uncomfortable that you have to fidget with it every two seconds?" It was starting to get on his nerves.

"No," she replied calmly. "I'm just surprised that it works, that's all." The Master had made her wear the bracelet. Its purpose was to hide her scent and overbearing presence from others. It made sense, knowing that there would be other dragon slayers and mages present that may not take too well to having a dragon strolling around the city. She didn't mind having it on, it was just an odd addition to her outfit.

"Well Porlyusica _was_ the one who made it," Laxus pointed out. The old woman was the one who provided his grandfather with the bracelet, who insisted that the dragoness wear it just in case.

Leora only nodded as she picked at another piece of fruit. This was boring…Why are they spending so much time on the consumption of 'human' food when there was so much more to see in the city?

Laxus watched the dragoness as she stabbed at her fruit bowl. Midway through stuffing his face with another piece of steak, Laxus had to ask. "Why do you hate human food so much anyways?"

Leora looked up from her bowl of fruit. "Just cause." Did she need a reason why? It's _human_ food.

Laxus gave her a flat stare. "What do you mean just cause?"

Silence.

"…Have you even tried it before?"

There was more silence before Leora averted her gaze back towards the bowl of fruit. So what if she hasn't tried it before. Like she mentioned before, its _human_ food. It can't be _that_ good…though...she did admit that the aromas she was now used to smelling made her wonder what it did taste like.

Laxus groaned, leaning back to pinch his nose. He couldn't believe that all this time she refused to eat 'human' food solely because she hadn't tried it. He cut off a slice of his meat and pointed the fork in her direction. He chose a rawer section of the steak assuming that it would be more to her taste considering she usually ate her meat fresh from the animal itself.

"Try it." Laxus demanded.

Leora looked at him as if he was placing poison in front of her. She shook her head. "No. It's disgusting."

Laxus gave her an unimpressed look with a raised brow. "How would you know it's disgusting if you haven't tried it."

"I just know." Now she was just starting to sound childish. Laxus watched as she turned her head to the side, away from his fork. Trying a different approach, he tried to bait her into trying it.

"You aren't _scared_ of 'human' food…are you?" Laxus asked in a mocking tone, leaning closer to the dragoness. He couldn't hold back the smirk as she quickly turned back around to retort.

"Of course not!" She exclaimed, slightly flustered. "Fine. I'll try it…Happy?"

Laxus gave her a sly grin. "Very." It always amused him how easy it was for him to bait her into doing something.

Leora sighed, knowing she lost this round. Once again staring at the outstretched fork, she made a move to grab its handle when it was suddenly pulled away from her.

"Nope," Laxus said with a smirk. "Open your mouth." He was having way more fun than he should be with this.

She gave him a blank stare. "What's the difference…"

Taking advantage of her inexperience with the delicacies of human cuisine, Laxus answered. "There is. Trust me." He put on as innocent of a smile as he had in his arsenal.

Leora groaned. "Fine…" She opened her mouth as Laxus moved the fork closer to her.

"Oh and close your eyes," Laxus added, trying to hold back a chuckle. Surprisingly she didn't fight him on that one, which made Laxus feel oddly elated at her compliance. He slowly moved the fork with the piece of steak into her mouth. "Now, I'm sure you know what to do after this." He could see the eye-roll behind her closed eye lids.

Slowly, Laxus watched as Leora's tongue slowly darted out to get a quick taste of the foreign substance in her mouth before slowly closing her lips over the fork and pulling the piece of meat in. Laxus' grip on the fork tightened slightly when his brain suddenly associated the image of her tongue and her mouth enclosing around the fork with the image of her tongue and mouth enclosing around his own cock-

Laxus shook his head to stop that train of thought. He was NOT thinking about that right now. How the hell did this get sensual so fast? Laxus was so caught up in his internal struggle that he almost missed the myriad of emotions that then passed through Leora's face.

The first things that hit Leora's taste buds were the spices. It was simple salt and pepper with some herbs, but regardless it landed on her palate and spread like wildfire across her tongue. By then her eyes had shot open. After that, she took in the texture of the piece of meat as she bit down, chewing slowly to take in the firm, yet tender nature of the piece of beef. Lastly, there came the blood. It was definitely much less in quantity from when she bites into a fresh cow, and surprisingly there was none of the iron like quality that often accompanied fresh blood. The combination of all those aspects swirled around on her palate in a gentle harmony. Slowly she swallowed and turned her eyes back towards the dragon slayer who was watching her intently.

"So?" Laxus asked inquisitively. Her face had gone from apathetic, to mild shock to pleasant familiarity only to land back in a fairly emotionless state.

"It's…not bad." Leora concluded.

Laxus let out a hearty laugh at that anticlimactic answer. "After all that, that was all you could say?" Though to be honest, 'not bad' was already more than he had expected from her.

"Well I still think it's better fresh," Leora said honestly. There was a certain rush that was felt after a hunt that made her fresh kills taste better. Though her memories of hunting were always vague whenever she let her instincts take over.

Laxus chuckled, "Well at least you tried. I'm proud of you."

Leora glared back at him, "I'm not a child."

"I don't know about that…" Laxus added, as he reached for a piece of herb chicken with his fork. He was about to place it in his own mouth, when a hand suddenly wrapped around his own, pulling both his arm and the fork forward. "OI. What do you think you're doing?"

"Trying it," she answered simply. She stuck the piece of chicken into her mouth before pulling back on his hand to remove the fork. Laxus couldn't believe what she was doing.

"Why don't you just use your own fork?" Laxus asked, both annoyed and mildly shocked at her actions. That was his piece of chicken damn it.

" _You_ were the one who said it would taste different," Leora sassed back. It was too late now. Her curiousity had been sparked. Therefore, every time the dragon slayer would pick up something new from his plethora of dishes, she'd grab his hand and force him to feed her a piece. Every time, she caught the slight tightening of his hand under hers as she pulled his arm towards her. Leora thought it was due to the dragon slayer's discomfort with her stealing his beloved food, but if someone had asked Laxus, his answer would be entirely different.

So to have a little more fun, she decided take her sweet time enjoying each new piece of food, darting her tongue out to take a tiny taste of the substance before slowly dragging the piece of food into her patient mouth, letting out a moan for the items that she thought were worth the extra sound effect. She inwardly smirked at how worked up she was able to get the dragon slayer. He must really have a love for human food if he was this bothered about her eating it.

On the other side of the experience, Laxus' pants were getting tighter with each new dish he was forced to feed to the dragoness. However, his mood dampened when he saw that knowing smirk on her face as she sat her chin on her open palm with her elbow rested on the table. That minx! She was playing with him. He growled at the dragoness after he realized what she was doing, but it only earned him a wolfish grin complete with her sharp fangs.

In quick succession, the pair had somehow managed to finish off every single dish in under an hour. After the waitress cleaned up their table, Leora also finally realized that she had managed to try every single dish…of _human_ food. And to her immediate surprise, most of the dishes she tried weren't that unpleasant. Interesting…

After leaving the restaurant, Laxus once again found himself following the dragoness around the city center, not wanting to leave her alone in case she caused trouble. They made an odd pair as they walked around. To everyone around them, Leora looked like a strikingly beauty blonde lady with her blue sundress who was followed by an undeniably tall and imposing bodyguard, complete with his large fur-lined overcoat. Given the fact that Laxus hovered around her like a dark brooding cloud, it made for quite the scene.

Eventually, their sightseeing expedition had turned into a food expedition and Laxus found himself being thoroughly entertained by the various reactions she had towards the foods she tried. There were some items that she deemed decent, but oppositely there were others that she obviously hated given the scrunched up look she had on her face after she tried them. Surprisingly enough, she happened to make that face in reaction to some lightning food they happened to try.

Immediately afterwards, she had given him a look of pity and a mildly annoying pat on his shoulder before she walked off. Looking over her shoulder, she asked him how he had taken pleasure in eating before he had met her. Sadly enough, he couldn't even come up with a retort as he wholeheartedly agreed that the taste of her lightning was unparalleled.

For the rest of the day, Laxus was pulled around to stand after stand and forced to feed the dragoness any item of food that she deemed interesting. He was starting to wonder if getting her to try human food was a mistake. More so, he was slightly regretting his white lie regarding how food tasted better when he fed it to her. It was not faring well on his imagination.

Though, Laxus had to admit he was happy that he was the first one she tried all these things with. That she was finally opening up to him as a friend. Guess those three months of training yielded something more than just a strengthening of their Bond.

* * *

The rest of the day had passed by in a flash and by quarter to midnight the pair had finally arrived back at the Honeybone Lodge. They received keys to separate rooms, since Laxus was to stay with the rest of Fairy Tail B Team. Leora, on the other hand, was roomed with the Raijinshuu. While the dragoness was getting set up inside the room along with Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen ambushed Laxus in the hallway with knowing smirks on their faces.

"So Laxus…" Evergreen started with a glint in her eye, cutting straight to the chase as soon as Leora entered their room and closed the door. "How was your _date_ with a certain someone?"

"What the hell are you talking about Ever," Laxus said, immediately placed on the defense. He did not like where this was going.

"Oh come on Boss, you can tell us," Bickslow said with a wink. His babies joined in on the fun as they hovered around the seith mage. "Tell us! Tell us!"

"That was not a date," Laxus claimed adamantly with his arms crossed over his chest. "I was just making sure she didn't cause any trouble."

"Are you sure Laxus?" Evergreen asked. "And what exactly did you do on this 'not a date'?"

"Nothing," Laxus said. "We just walked around the city and ate."

"Walked around and ate," Bickslow repeated slowly. "Hmm Ever, sounds like a date to me doesn't it?"

Evergreen smirked, "Sure does."

Suddenly Laxus' brain finally decided to function and piece together all the activities he and the dragoness had participated in during the day. They had walked around the city together…visited various vendor stands and historical landmarks together…ate at an endless number of restaurants throughout the day…randomly caught the pre-Grand Magic Games fireworks display on the way back to the lodge…

God.

It really was a date.

Laxus groaned while running a hand through his blonde hair. How did he not even realize that? Well it's not like he was ever a guy to go on dates in the first place. But the ones that he had been on, the women had practically thrown themselves at him and it was so obviously a date that he didn't need to make the distinction. And all of those had been painful to sit through as he knew the woman only flocked to him for his name or his power. But today, hanging out with Leora had felt so natural that he didn't even notice that the things they were doing were considered 'date' like activities. Hell, he even paid for all the random trinkets she picked up from stores, seeing as she didn't have the jewels, nor did she care about the need for payment...

Bickslow and Evergreen only grinned wider as they watched realization dawn over their leader's face. They then proceeded to laugh uncontrollably when a muffled sentence drifted across the closed hotel room door.

"What's a date?"

The innocent question was then followed by characteristic sputtering from what could only be a red-faced green haired rune mage. But before Bickslow and Evergreen could calm themselves down to voice their opinions, they suddenly heard the loud chiming a grandfather clock.

One...two...three...

"Laxus. It's midnight," Evergreen said, her tone suddenly serious. Each chime continued to ring out.

Laxus regained his composure as well. "Ah." He nodded to his teammates before heading to his room, which just happened to be next door. The rest of Fairy Tail B was already inside and waiting.

A voice rang out from outside the balcony to their shared room. "To all the guilds gathered here for the Grand Magic Games." All the members rushed to the balcony to see a large projection of an odd figure dressed in a striped shirt with a large pumpkin as its head.

"What the hell is this…" Gajeel commented as they all stood out on the balcony.

The pumpkin projection continued to speak. "In order to reduce the teams from one hundred and thirteen down to eight, we will be holding a preliminary event."

"Ara Ara. A preliminary event…that sounds like fun," Mira added with a gentle smile.

"But eight teams out of one hundred and thirteen…" Juvia noted warily. That was a large cut to make.

"The preliminary rules are simple!" The pumpkin started to explain. Suddenly the lodge shook with a loud rumble. Fairy Tail B all looked down over their balcony to notice that the lodge was starting to rise high into the sky.

"The lodge," Jellal noted calmly, already in his Mystogan styled clothing. "it's transforming."

As various surrounding inns also shifted, the projection continued. "The goal is to reach the event grounds, Domus Flau. The first eight teams to make it will participate in the event."

Laxus scoffed, "First eight teams, huh." That should be a piece of cake. He glanced over at his team, noting that they were already prepared for battle.

"Your lodgings will be the starting line for the preliminary event." Suddenly a path assembled in front of the balcony leading up to a massive spherical structure that had just materialized in the sky. "Feel free to use magic, there are no restrictions. But all five of your members must make it to the goal. And one more thing." The projection spoke more ominously. "We take no responsibility for anyone who loses their life in the labyrinth."

"Hmm. No restrictions." Laxus was starting to get interested in this event. As a side note, he was also grateful that Leora was not selected by his Gramps. Knowing her she'd take 'no restrictions' way too far. Speaking of the dragoness, Laxus turned his head to the left, noticing that her and the Raijinshuu were also out on their own balcony. They were all looking at the scene before them, except for the dragoness, who was currently staring straight at him with hardened eyes.

"The Grand Magic Games preliminary event, Sky Labyrinth, has begun!"

Almost immediately the members of Fairy Tail B began to rush up the stairs. Laxus broke eye contact with Leora and was about to head up himself when he suddenly felt her brushing up against the Bond, seemingly knocking against his closed door. Curious, he opened the door to his side of the channel.

Her voice drifted into his mind.

 _Don't disappoint me_.

Laxus turned back to catch the same hard look she had on her face. He felt a hint of her frustration flow through the Bond. Probably since she wasn't able to participate with them. He chuckled. That was probably the best 'good luck' he was going to get out of her.

 _Hai hai._

"Oi Lightning Rod! Hurry up!"

Laxus gave the iron dragon slayer a friendly snarl before he bounded up the stairs to catch up to his team. He had decided to keep the channel open so he could sense what she was feeling. Knowing her dragon senses, if she focused, she'd be able to see and hear exactly what they were doing. Hell, she probably already knew the way to reach the final goal.

When they had officially entered the Sky Labyrinth, the Team B members all took a quick look at their surroundings in awe. True to its name, the three dimensional challenge was a like labyrinth from hell. The outside of the sphere did nothing to reveal the complicated insides of the maze.

"Gajeel-kun, Laxus, are you able to smell where the goal is?" Mira asked.

"No," Laxus replied. "I'm not picking up anything."

"Ya, my nose isn't working either," Gajeel added, slightly frustrated.

"They must have some sort of magic to keep all the mages on an equal playing field," Jellal commented.

"Gihi. Guess it also makes it so that we're not motion sick." Gajeel noted. Laxus nodded. He had also noted that moving around in the labyrinth caused none of the nausea he experienced on the train yesterday.

After scanning around him, Laxus knelt down, placing a palm to the floor of the platform they were currently standing on.

"Laxus-san, what are you doing?" Juvia asked curiously.

"Listening," Laxus said, closing his eyes. He sent a shock of lightning into the platform, sensing as it spread out through all the paths and structures of the labyrinth. It was one of the techniques that Leora had taught him while they were still on Tenrou Island.

" _Let the lightning speak to me?" He asked with a raised brow._

 _Leora nodded. "If you spread your lightning out, you can coax it to tell you the many things it has learned when it returns. This forms the very basis of how I am able to replicate my enemy's weapons." She took one of his palms and placed it against a nearby tree. "Try it. Send a soft spark of lightning through the tree and tell me what it says to you."_

 _He looked at her as if she was crazy, but he followed her instructions regardless, sending a shock of lightning into the tree. He waited. Nothing._

" _Oi Sunshine, are you sure you aren't making this stuff up?" he asked. He watched as she rolled her eyes at him._

" _You've always been too harsh with your lightning. Now it doesn't want to speak to you."_

" _What?" Now he was certain that the dragoness had gone crazy. It's almost as if she was insinuating that the lightning was angry at him…_

" _I don't feel like repeating myself," Leora said. "Try again. This time learn to be more gentle with your lightning."_

 _He sighed. "Fine." He felt ridiculous doing this exercise, but it didn't look like the dragoness was going to let up. He sent another spark of lightning through the tree once again, but this time he held back on its power._

 _Leora seemingly approved. "Good. Now call it back towards you. Coax it to tell you something about this tree."_

 _He closed his eyes and tried to 'call' back his lightning. Suddenly he felt the lightning crawl back down the tree and back into his palm, sending signals into his brain. After a few moments, his mind connected the dots. His eyes shot open. "The tree. It's dying due to tree mites nesting in its trunk."_

 _Leora nodded with a smirk, "Now that wasn't that hard was it?"_

The other Team B members gave him the same look that he gave the dragoness when she first tried to explain this to him. But Laxus was too lazy to explain the details to them. Regardless, after a few moments the lightning returned to his body.

His brain was suddenly filled with an entire blueprint of the labyrinth.

"This way," Laxus pointed towards the east. The others looked at him oddly wondering how he knew where to go, but didn't question the elder lightning mage. Through the Bond, Laxus could feel her approval seeping through as they ran off in the direction he pointed towards. Well. At least he did something right.

That hadn't made it very far when they ran into their first opponent team. Luckily Gajeel was very prepared and a little too excited to get the fighting started. Within two swings of his iron club, all five members of the unknown guild had been knocked off the labyrinth. Thankfully, they were caught by magic outside of the sphere before they made it to the ground.

"Gihi." Gajeel suddenly noticed that something had fluttered to the floor when he had knocked the mages down and bent down to investigate.

"Gajeel-kun, what do you have there?" Mira asked, slightly curious.

Gajeel rotated the piece of paper a couple of times while staring at the lines and circles on its face. "It's a map." He then simply tossed the piece of paper over the platform, watching as it fluttered down to the platforms below.

"Why did you throw it away?!" Juvia exclaimed.

Gajeel gestured towards Laxus. "We've got our own navigator right here. What do we need a map for?" The rest of the team looked towards Laxus before agreeing with the iron dragon slayer. Laxus felt an odd sense of contentment at having his guild mates trust him again. Even though he still wasn't sure they should after all he had done to them during the Battle of Fairy Tail…

Laxus was suddenly jolted by a shock of lightning through the Bond followed by wave of annoyance. Even though they were too far to directly communicate, he had a feeling she was trying to tell him to snap out of it and pay attention to the competition. He sighed. She was right, now was not the time to think of these things. Nodding to his teammates they continued to head in the direction the lightning had directed him towards.

* * *

Meanwhile somewhere in the labyrinth below, Natsu was standing on a lone platform looking around when he noticed something floating down in front of him. Reaching out to grab it, he gave a wide grin when he suddenly realized what it was.

"Lucy! I got another map!" He shouted excitedly, waving the piece of paper in her direction with a wide grin on his face. Lucy was sitting down on another platform close by.

Partially concentrated on piecing together the maps, Lucy laughed, "Hai Hai." It was always amusing seeing the dragon slayer so hyped up.

Natsu gave himself a pat on the back before wondering out loud, "Who the hell would be dumb enough to throw away their map?"

"Who cares, flame brain," Gray commented while he froze another team that happened to pass by him. "Hurry up and grab some more."

"Shut up Ice breath!" Natsu shouted.

A dark aura suddenly rose in the air. "Are you two fighting again?" Erza's face loomed over the two mages, causing them to shrink backwards.

"N-No!"

* * *

Laxus could feel their group getting closer to the destination, when suddenly the entire labyrinth started to shake and move. Team B looked around their surroundings after the labyrinth had stopped rearranging itself. It seemed several teams had been shaken off by the movement of the sphere. Of course Team B had no trouble keeping themselves upright. Jellal simply levitated them all until the labyrinth stopped.

With another spark of his lightning, Laxus regained the location of the goal. They were close.

After a couple more minutes, Juvia shouted. "Look! Juvia sees the goal!" She pointed in front of them where there was a bright sign with the words 'Congratulations! GOAL!' over a doorway. In front there stood the odd pumpkin figure, albeit at a more reasonable size. As they approached, they heard the sound of clapping.

"Congratulations on completing the preliminary event!"

"What did we place?" Gajeel asked roughly.

Laxus could feel Leora's anticipation through the Bond.

"Ah," the pumpkin started, causing all of Team B's members to lean forward.

"You came second."

Laxus let out a shiver as he felt the enormous wave of disappointment crash through the Bond. He could practically imagine the dark aura that was probably surrounding the dragoness at the moment. He groaned inwardly. He was going to get it when they got back to the lodge…

* * *

The Raijinshuu on the other hand had a front row seat to the rising dark aura of disappointment radiating from the dragoness leaning over the railing. They had quickly shuffled over to the other side of the balcony in slight fear.

"W-what happened?" Freed asked, being the first to regain composure.

He was greeted with a dark blank stare as the dragoness turned her head stiffly to face him.

"Second," was all she grumbled before she walked back into the room.

The Raijinshuu all looked to each other in confusion. Second? As in second place?

"Isn't second a good thing?" Evergreen commented. "That means they made it into the main round."

"As expected of Laxus!" Freed noted cheerfully. Of course his leader's team would qualify.

"They didn't come first," she simply stated as she sat down on her bed, arms crossed in front of her. She was starting to come up with all the flaws she had witnessed during the event. She had seen the Sabertooth team race through the maze before them with a ruthless demeanor. It was exactly how she would have passed through the labyrinth. Even though Fairy Tail B was arrived at a close second, it was still...second.

"…" The Raijinshuu didn't know how to respond. Guess Leora took this competition a little more seriously than they had thought. They started imagine what she would have been like if she was actually competing…

A shiver went up their spines. They would've felt quite bad for anyone who dared to stand in her way.

The Raijinshuu noted that the dragoness' dark mood wasn't improving. In fact it seemed like it was growing darker the more she was allowed to brew. If they didn't dispel the dark aura, Laxus was going to have it when he got back and they didn't know if they could protect him as his bodyguards...

Evergreen suddenly had an idea. "Ah Leora! How was the city today?" She watched as the dragoness slightly perked up at the question with some of the dark aura slightly receding. Bickslow and Freed instantly caught on to Evergreen's plan. They must protect their Laxus-sama from the dragon's wrath.

"Ya dragon girl? What did you end up doing?" Bickslow asked. Besides trying to calm the dragon down, he was actually quite interested in hearing her side to day, given the fact that they couldn't get much out of Laxus before he left.

The dragoness sighed, giving in to their inquiry. She'll think about their punishment later. "I ate." Bickslow and Evergreen were slightly put off by her use of 'I' and not 'We' as they would have expected.

"Ate?" Freed asked, slightly intrigued. "From what I recall you didn't eat 'human food'."

Leora looked away in what looked to be slight embarrassment. "I didn't. The dragon slayer made me try it."

The scary glint was back in Evergreen's eyes, "Oh…? What else did you do?"

Leora started recalling all that she had done earlier that day. "Walked around the markets, visited historical landmarks, tried various vendor stands, ate dinner…Oh! And there fireworks on the way back to the lodge."

The Raijinshuu looked to each other in utter shock. That was much more than they had expected from their 'not a date'.

"So overall, how was it?" Bickslow asked. By now, all three of the mages had sat around dragoness on her bed, eagerly awaiting her answer. Even Freed couldn't help but be intrigued.

Leora's head tilted slightly to the side, her still braided hair draping softly over one shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"Like, did you have fun? Did it feel…special?" Bickslow just so happened to stress the word, 'special'.

"Special?..." Leora repeated slowly as her brows furrowed. It was different from her past interactions with the dragon slayer for sure, but that was because she previously treated him like an enemy.

So how would she describe her day then?

Comfortable would probably be the best word. Oddly enough, she didn't feel stressed or on guard when she was with the dragon slayer all day. Was it because she treated him like a friend now? Or was it due to the fact that he simply scared away any curious bystanders so her senses weren't overwhelmed? Maybe it was both. But regardless, the day had indeed been…fun. The markets were lively and exciting and she managed walk away with a couple new trinkets to add to her hoard. Surprisingly, she had also enjoyed the moments when she tried human food. Near the end of the evening she was even able to take off the Sound Pods since she had finally gotten used to all the noise.

But was it special per say? She didn't exactly know how to judge that. "I don't know...it was similar to the days when we had went out together." She gestured between the four of them, signally to the days that their entire group had gone out together.

Evergreen and Bickslow turned to each other with blank faces of disappointment. Turns out, Laxus was so far out of her league that she didn't even consider the possibility of them being on a 'date', if she even knew what a date was. The entire day she had most likely treated the poor dragon slayer as only a friend.

Laxus had a _long_ way to go if he wanted to be _more_ than a friend.

Well...that's only if he actually wants that.

Which he doesn't...right?

* * *

 ** _A/N: Soooo I finally gave the two of them some fluffier moments (aka. their lovely train ride and their 'not a date' which was definitely a date). I was a little stuck on how clueless I wanted Leora to be, but seeing as she was asleep for about a hundred years and spent the many years before that wandering like a nomad I assumed she didn't know much about the more human aspect of things. She may have been a little too clueless about not needing to pay for things, but I just couldn't wipe the cute image of Laxus scrambling to pay for all the items that she'd 'steal'._**

 ** _As for Leora's whole thing with human food, I'm actually just like her when dealing with food I haven't tried before. I'd absolutely hate it, but then I'd try it and then fall in love with it LOL. Also loved the fact that Leora thought Laxus was uncomfortable because she was stealing his food, but in reality it was just because his mind was stuck in the gutter._**

 ** _I'm also hoping that I'm not changing Leora's attitude a little too fast, but I figured three months was more than enough for her old personality to kinda seep though (given the fact that she used to treat Mavis and friends a lot differently than she did with Laxus). Given the fact that she no longer views him as her enemy, I think it's okay for her to be more 'friendly' now._**

 ** _Anyways, that's enough of my rambling for now._**

 ** _Until next chapter!_**


	15. Arc II-15: The calm before the storm

**Chapter 15**

"Welcome to the eighth annual Grand Magic Games!" The announcer shouted into the lacrima microphone, followed by massive cheering throughout the crowd. Leora scanned over the stadium from her position in the Fairy Tail stands, taking in the massive number of mages and humans in the crowds. She was surprised that these many people would be interested in a competition between mages.

The dragoness was currently situated in Fairy Tail's spectator area, sitting on the ledge with her feet hanging over into the stadium. She was slightly annoyed that she wasn't able to be where the competitors' area was. God knows how much the dragon slayer and his team would need her help after their terrible performance the night before. Second?! Like she mentioned last night, that was unacceptable.

She vaguely paid attention as the announcer began to announce the names of the teams that made it to the main competition. Looking down into the stadium she watched as the eighth placed team arrived. Her brows raised. Fairy Tail? Ah that was right. There were two teams sent to competition.

Her brain suddenly registered what place they were in.

"Eighth?! That's even more unacceptable!" Leora blurted out loud.

The rest of Fairy Tail immediately looked towards her and sweatdropped. Thankfully Team Natsu wasn't able to hear her.

But the guild members were pleasantly surprised when they realized how into the competition the blonde dragoness was, even if she tried not to show it. Though it was hard not to notice after she literally burst into sparks after hearing the continuous booing from the crowd. Even five of them together weren't enough to keep the dragoness from jumping to try to deal with the hecklers.

Thankfully, a soft voice suddenly appeared amongst the Fairy Tail stands. "You shouldn't be so worked up."

Leora's response was automatic as she immediately sat back down on the ledge, which caused complete surprise amongst the guild. "Hai…"

Wait. That voice… Leora turned to her left to see the smiling face of her friend. "M-Mavis!"

The entire guild was speechless as they stared at the tiny woman. The all wondered the same thing. First Master…what kind of woman was she...to be able to subdue the dragoness like that with just one sentence….

Makarov was the first to recover. "First Master! How-?"

Mavis gave them all a gentle smile. "I'm here to cheer for you!" The First Master was now sitting next to the dragoness with her feet also swinging over the ledge.

"You came…here to cheer?" Makarov said, unbelieving. The rest of the guild as well as Leora held blank stares.

"Don't worry," Mavis said. "Only those with our insignia can see me. Besides…I got bored sitting on Tenroujima…"

Leora stiffened slightly when she heard that Mavis was previously on the sacred island. Was she watching when her magic flared up? She quickly scanned over Mavis' face, but the woman didn't seem to show any suspicious signs. How much did she know?

During her internal debate, the other teams were introduced.

Quatro Cerberus. Mermaid Heel. Blue Pegasus. Lamia Scale.

Suddenly Leora sensed a malicious force originating from the next guild that entered the stadium.

Raven Tail.

She couldn't quite place what that odd signature was, but it had her feeling uneasy. Her ears caught the conversation in the stadium below.

"That's the guild founded by the Master's son, Ivan." Erza said.

The Master's son? Meaning he's the dragon slayer's father? She recalled a previous conversation with the dragon slayer when she had asked him where she had gotten his dragon's lacrima from. At that time, he had told her that his father was the one who forced it into him at a young age.

Her eyes darkened as her brain registered that fact. Her mind suddenly flashed back to the empty pedestal sitting in her father's den in Bosco. That meant that this 'Ivan' was one…

Her low growls were only heard by Mavis sitting next to her, who looked towards her friend in worry. Leora took a few deep breaths to calm down before she caught any more attention.

The masked man with the fur coat spoke. "This little girl is our way of saying hello." Suddenly the small creature sitting on the shoulder of a cloaked pale blue man with a large pointed nose made a noise. His face then morphed into one resembling the young sky dragon slayer.

Natsu immediately growled through gritted teeth, "You were the one…who hurt Wendy…I won't let you get away with this."

Leora's eyes widened. That's right. Wendy was found unconscious last night in the castle courtyard with her exceed Charle. She was found with magic deficiency disease due to low magic power…

Her entire body stiffened when she recognized the small creature who was now cackling at the A team's hardened looks of determination.

Obra.

Why was he here?! Wait. If he's here, then he must be watching for Zeref…meaning the black mage himself would not be present. She felt slightly disappointed once she realized that the dark magic force surrounding the games wasn't directly caused by the black mage's presence. She sighed and shook her head. She shouldn't be this excited to see him again. It wouldn't do her any good.

She willed herself to pay attention to the rest of the introductions, lest she further worry Mavis who was already looking concerned. She stared down at the stadium, knowing which team would be next.

"Fairy Tail B Team!"

Leora smirked as she watched the shocked expressions of both the crowd and the A Team in the stadium below. She couldn't help but feel a little proud of her dragon slayer's team placing higher than his guildmates. Even if they did only place second.

Leora didn't catch herself calling him _her_ dragon slayer.

She did however, find herself chuckling when the exceeds sitting next to her started comparing their own dragon slayers.

"Gajeel has grown so strong," Pantherlily boasted with a smug smile.

"So has Natsu," Happy retorted. "We won't lose!"

Leora couldn't stop herself from responding. "So has Lax-" But she did catch herself from finishing her sentence. She blinked. She couldn't believe that she almost blurted that out loud.

"What did you say Leora?" Happy asked.

"Nothing!" Leora blurted back. In her embarrassment, she didn't catch the smiles exchanged between the two Masters to her left.

Suddenly Mavis' expression darkened slightly as she looked down at Team B's members. "That guy with the mask on is not a guild member, right?"

Makarov instantly paled. "I'm sorry!"

Mavis continued to evaluate the man in the stadium below. "But he's not a bad guy. I can feel that he has the same soul as members of the guild."

Leora's memory flashed back to when she confronted that man only a couple of nights ago. Jellal…

The man who wanted to kill Zeref.

"Is he strong?" Mavis asked.

"Of course!" Makarov exclaimed. "He was one of the Ten Wizard Saints."

Leora stiffened slightly. That man was a Ten Wizard Saint?!

The lock of hair sticking up from the top of Mavis' head twitched slightly.

"I'll allow it!" Mavis smiled.

"Huh?" Makarov was stunned. He didn't think the First Master would approve so easily.

"As long as Fairy Tail wins," Mavis answered with sparkles in her eyes. Leora found herself absentmindedly nodding along. Though she didn't think that this 'Jellal' was absolutely necessary, having a man of that strength on _his_ team would certainly help.

…She'll allow it too.

Leora watched as the crowd went wild for the last team to enter the stadium. Sabertooth. Her interest perked as she noticed the two dragon slayers. She gently fingered the bracelet on her wrist that hid her scent and power signature from the others. Guess it was a good idea to wear it after all. It would cause too much commotion if a dragon was revealed to be in the capital city.

The terms and rules of the Grand Magic Games were subsequently explained. Each day would have a surprise competition event and a battle event with points being allocated based on respective placing. At the end of all five days of the tournament, whichever team has the most points wins.

The surprise event for the first day of the tournament was then announced: Hidden.

Leora watched as Gray and Juvia entered the town that suddenly materialized within the large stadium, before several other versions of each player emerged with them. As explained by the announcer, one must hide from other opponents, yet try to seek them out at the same time. Leora's interest was perked. This event seemed very characteristic of a hunt. A dragon slayer, with the capabilities of sniffing out the real opponent would have been the better choice.

Based on her knowledge of Gray's and Juvia's capabilities and behaviours, this was not going to go well.

Her predictions rang true as time after time both Juvia and Gray were soon being struck down by various other opponents.

Juvia was too passive. She would never capture her prey like that.

Gray was too unaware of his surroundings and too easily flustered. While it is important to be the hunter it is equally as important to understand that one was also hunted at the same time. And she could tell that the short purple human belonging to Raven Tail was definitely targeting the ice mage out of spite.

However, the one that interested her the most was the mage who simply stood on top of the tower that overlooked the false town. He was doing exactly what she would've done. An omnipresent attack after identifying all of her prey, which given her sense of smell and hearing would have been no problem. She may not have chosen to stand in such a vulnerable spot, but she applauded his confidence...and his arrogance.

Sometimes in a hunt, it is faster for the prey to come to you than it is for you to find your prey.

Her head was shaking in disappointment by the time the event was over.

* * *

The battle portion of the first day commenced shortly after the conclusion of the surprise event. The first pair up was Lucy and Raven Tail's Flare Corona.

Leora wasn't sure what to think of this battle. As she herself was capable of both physical and long-distance battle, she was unfamiliar with how a holder-type mage should do battle. It's often much tougher as the mage themselves are rendered useless should they lose contact with their magic weapon. Which, in this case are Lucy's keys.

She watched as Lucy pulled out her first two spirits and effectively paired the two into a combination attack. That was commendable. However, Leora's lips flattened as she watched Lucy get captured by Flare's hair. That was what she was talking about. If Lucy is to truly improve, she will need to find a way to improve her physical battles.

Suddenly Flare shot her hair straight into the ground, leaving Leora confused as to where it was going since it did not reappear to attack Lucy.

"Asuka-chan!" Lucy shouted, before her mouth was covered by Flare's hair.

Leora was confused. Who is Asuka? She didn't have much time to dwell on that fact as her attention was immediately focused back on Lucy, who was currently being decimated by the redhead. What is going on? From what she saw of the beginning of the battle, Lucy should win this battle. Instead, she was currently being strung up by the fire-witch.

But then, suddenly, Natsu burst out into where Fairy Tail was sitting in the stands.

"Don't underestimate me, I have good hearing!" Natsu growled. "'Asuka-chan' was it?!"

Leora twisted around from her seat on the stone ledge to watch as Natsu tore the lock of red hair away from the little girl standing right next to her. Leora's eyes widened after she realized what happened. How could she have missed that? She had heard it too. Her hands clenched into fists as her head dropped in shame at her failure to protect the little child. She called them her nakama, but were they really? Did she honestly know so little about her friends?

Eyes hardening, Leora refocused her attention back towards the match just as Lucy combined hands with her spirit Gemini. The celestial mage was smart, using the spirit to transform into herself in order to double her magic power. Feeling the magic power in the stadium rise to an impressive level, Leora waited for the match to end, knowing that Lucy had already won. The sky turned dark as planets emerged above them.

However, when she started to hear the final chant of her next spell, Leora's breath caught. Something felt wrong.

"Urano Metria!" Lucy and Gemini shouted. The blast from the spell burst outwards and temporarily blinded those in the crowd. However, when the light disappeared nothing had changed except for the fact that the magic had mysteriously disappeared. Leora breathed out slowly. There was but one creature here that could pull off a feat like that. Her head instantly whipped towards Raven Tails' competitor stand.

Obra.

Leora growled when she heard the soft chuckling from the tiny creature. She made a move to retaliate, but stopped as soon as she felt Mavis' presence on her shoulder.

"There's nothing we can do," Mavis said sadly. "We have no proof." The sixth master beside her nodded solemnly as well.

Leora continued to growl, but heeded to the Master's request as she sat back down. She felt slightly surprised when her heart reached out towards the celestial mage down in the stadium as she collapsed to ground in tears amidst all the taunting and cackling from the crowd. Is this what it feels like to care about your nakama? The feeling was familiar, but she hadn't felt like this in a while. The Fairy Tail members were furious, but they knew that without proof they couldn't do anything about it. Nobody saw what had happened.

That was the danger of Obra's magic.

A cold wave suddenly swept through Leora's body. Guess she'll have to pay the little creature a visit tonight.

Leora barely paid attention to the next match between Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel. However, she perked up when the next match ended with the mage from Sabertooth defeating the mage from Quatro Cerberus in one strike.

Lightning. And not just any lightning by the nature of its scent and the darkness of its strike.

God slaying lightning…

Leora smirked. She wouldn't mind getting a chance to fight that man.

The final match of the day consisted of Jellal of Fairy Tail B and Jura of Lamia Scale. Leora didn't even want to comment on the monstrosity of that battle. Her deathly aura could be felt by the members of the B team all the way from their competitor's stand. Everyone, including Laxus, shuddered in fear as they wondered what sort of wrath the dragon would invoke upon them after such an embarrassing defeat. They had already gotten a mouth full the night before for _only_ placing second during the preliminaries.

* * *

And so the first day of the Grand Magic Games had ended with both Fairy Tail teams placing in the last two places. But despite that, the atmosphere inside the Bar Sun, where Fairy Tail was currently celebrating their crushing defeat, was still cheerful and lively.

A certain dragoness was not present at the bar, telling her guildmates that she'd rather rest in her room. That of course was a lie. Instead, she decided to take a walk through the streets alone, opting to go on a slightly different kind of hunt tonight. One to look for that pesky little creature. She knew it wouldn't be hard to find him. He still had remnants of Zeref's unforgettable scent on his body. It was time she figured out why he was here.

A part of her also wanted to pay him back for what he did to Wendy and Lucy.

To Fairy Tail.

While Obra was small and agile, he couldn't avoid capture for very long. He scurried along the rooftops, trying to make his way back to the inn that Raven Tail was staying in, but he knew his fate was sealed when caught the dragoness' fleeting form within his peripheral vision. He knew she was playing with him, taking small pleasures in watching him panic. But despite that he wasn't truly afraid. He knew she wouldn't dare kill him.

Obra let out a dark snicker after finally being caught on top of the clock tower. With her clawed hand around his neck, Leora snarled at the little creature who was obviously mocking her.

"What are you doing here, Obra?" Leora asked, her voice deepening.

Obra chuckled in response which only caused her hand to tighten around his neck, eliciting a choke from the tiny creature.

"Observational purposes," Obra snickered. "Zeref is curious about his precious little brother after learning about his survival from Tenroujima."

"That's all he wanted?" Leora asked. Natsu?

Obra's long tail flickered in amusement. "Oh…Is someone a little jealous? Don't worry. Zeref will come for you when he's ready."

"Ready?" Leora asked, her voice rising slightly in panic. "What do you mean ready?"

"You should know that I don't ask questions, _little dragon_ ," Obra said, taunting Leora with Zeref's nickname for her.

Leora growled. "Why Raven Tail?"

"They don't ask questions either. Why? Are you worried about your little band of misfits?" Obra grinned widely. "I'm _terribly_ _sorry_ for the little mishap today. Must have been a small slip of my magic. You know how hard that sort of thing is to control sometimes. Don't you?"

Leora's anger swelled as Obra continued to cackle. Originally, she only intended to intimidate the small creature with a flare of sparks. However, a sudden rage burst through her. Instead of lightning, a painfully familiar dark aura surrounded her body and the clawed hand she had wrapped around the creature's necked was slowly being covered by wisps of black.

Her voice turned cold and unrecognizable. "This." The flesh around Obra's neck started to turn black. "Is for Wendy and Lucy."

Obra cried out in pain as the flesh around his neck slowly started to decay. Startled by his outcry and noticing what she was doing, Leora instantly let go of the small creature. The dark aura surrounding her quickly dissipated as she came back to her senses. Staring at his wounds, she was horrified at what she had just done.

Not again. She had lost control over her emotions and her magic _again_.

Obra fell back onto the clock tower roof, with one hand clutching at the angry pink and bleeding flesh around his neck.

He let out a pained cackle. "If you wanted to be noticed _little dragon,_ you should have just done this sooner. You can be sure that Zeref will want to know about _this_ little magic trick of yours. Though, it pales in comparison to what you used to be capable of. Doesn't it?"

Leora gritted her teeth, still trying to reel her emotions back. "Leave." Her voice was strained. "Before I do anything else I might regret."

Obra flinched, but he didn't retort. "Don't worry! We'll see each other again!" Snickering, the little creature scurried back down the clock tower, leaving the dragoness sitting up there to come to terms with her actions.

Leora stared up at the sky in hopes that the stars would calm down her racing heart and whirling emotions. Her entire body was still trembling. She had thought she had it under control. Granted this time she didn't outright kill everything around her, but it was still not what she had intended. She had let her feelings for the guild fuel into her rage. And yet, as much as she wanted to close off her feelings for Fairy Tail, she found that she couldn't quite do it.

Her only option now was to pray that her heart would grow stronger so that she would be able to control the dark emotions threatening to overwhelm her once again.

* * *

Laxus had noticed Leora's absence from the bar that night, but thinking she was simply resting in her room he didn't think much of it. All the noise and scents from the crowd must have overwhelmed her senses. He decided to return to Honeybone Lodge to check up on his dragon.

She was leaning gently against the balcony and gazing up at the stars, when Laxus entered her room. The Raijinshuu was still at Bar Sun so it was just the two of them. Slowly approaching her from behind, he went to join the quiet blonde on the balcony. He turned to see a surprisingly solemn expression on her face.

"You alright?" Laxus asked. Solemn was the last expression he'd expect out the dragoness today. Anger and disappointment was more to be expected. Though, she had already drilled it into them earlier this evening for their embarrassing loss.

She didn't turn to face him. "Ah. Just a little tired."

"Were you here the entire time?" Laxus asked her.

"Yes," she replied. Even with the Bond being closed, Laxus was beginning to be able to tell when the dragoness was lying. Her body would stiffen up just so slightly for the smallest of moments when she wasn't telling the truth. She was hiding something from him.

"You know you can talk to me if you really needed to," Laxus added slowly. Even though he was never one for talking, he made for a pretty good listener when he needed to.

"Is feeling angry when your nakama are hurt a normal thing?" Leora whispered with her head tilted downwards. She knew the answer already, but she just had to hear it from someone else. Her hands gripped the railing a little tighter as she waited for his answer.

Laxus was a little startled by her question, but he was also pleased that she was starting to care about her guildmates. He knew she was referring to what happened Wendy and Lucy. Even he himself was shocked at how angry he became when he heard about the little sky dragon slayer and when he watched the celestial mage collapse to the ground. They deserved better.

As he stood there staring at Leora, Laxus was amazed at how far both he and the dragoness had gone. For him, he had started off thinking that all his nakama were weak and didn't deserve to be in his guild. For her, she had viewed all of them as pathetic humans, not worthy of her time. And now? Here they were, talking about how furious they were that their friends were hurt. He turned to fully face the dragoness, who's solemn expression was starting to place a downer on his mood as well.

"Of course," Laxus said adamently, his deep voice surprisingly soothing the nerves still running around in Leora's system.

She turned towards him in mild shock and her golden eyes clashed with his stormy blue orbs. She hadn't expected him to be so firm about his answer. However, it only slightly eased her guilt. "That's good to hear." She turned to make her way back into the room, but Laxus suddenly caught her wrist.

Laxus had managed to catch the plethora of emotions running through her eyes when she had looked at him. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and tried to remove her wrist from his hand, but he wouldn't budge. "It's nothing. I took care of it."

Laxus suddenly pulled Leora towards him, eliciting a growl from the dragoness and she stared up at him in a challenge. "What do you mean you took care of it." His other hand snaked around her waist to pin the dragoness to his body, immobilizing the blonde. He immediately tried not to think about the way her breasts were pressed firmly against his chest.

She snarled up at the dragon slayer. Even if he was her Knight, that didn't give him an excuse to manhandle her. "I said its nothing. Now let me go."

"Not a chance." Laxus tightened his hold on her body when she struggled to escape from his grasp. Seeing as the Bond had equalized their strength when it came to each other, right now he had the upper hand.

"Don't you trust me?" Leora asked, her voice still strong with defiance. Her eyes demanded that he let it go, but Laxus wouldn't have it.

"You make it hard for me to when you keep things from me," he replied firmly. "At first you said you never left the inn and now you said you went to take care of things? Your story isn't adding up Sunshine." His tough gaze bore into her own, exerting a level of dominance that she hadn't seen from the dragon slayer before. And oddly enough, she found herself caving.

Her head turned away in submission. "I went to find Obra-," she said. With the close proximity of their bodies, she felt the dragon slayer stiffen. "-and I paid him back for what he did to Wendy and Lucy."

She felt his hand around her waist tighten.

"If a member of the Fairy Tail team was caught injuring another guild's team member do you know how much trouble we would've been in?" Laxus scolded as he stared down at her.

She was surprised that he didn't immediately jump to the conclusion that she had killed the creature. If she was him in his position, she definitely would have.

"I know," Leora grumbled. That's why she was the one that went. That and she needed answers. "I don't care."

She thought she felt rumbling from his chest that was somewhat reminiscent of a chuckle. "That's certainly the Fairy Tail way to go about things." Leora quickly glanced upwards to catch the dragon slayer smirking down at her. "Well then. Guess it's a good thing that you aren't on any of our teams isn't it?"

Her eyes widened slightly and she couldn't hold back her laugh, "Ya."

Guess his logic was just as messed up as hers was.

Laxus decided that he liked the sound of Leora's fruity laugh as it rang through his ears. It wasn't like the high-pitched squealing that many of the other girls that often flocked to him possessed. Her's was mid-ranged, which nicely matched the natural tone of her voice. It was…soothing.

His mind also decided at that moment that he also liked how well her body seemed to fit into his own as she was practically plastered to his side with how tight he was unconsciously holding her to himself. However, before his body's natural reactions could catch up to his mind, they were interrupted by a small cough coming from the inside of the hotel room.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Bickslow asked, suggestively. His tongue was hanging out as his babies danced around him. Behind the seith mage, Evergreen and Freed were also watching the pair closely with curious looks.

Laxus quickly let go of Leora and jumped back a foot, while the dragoness simply turned to face their intruders, greeting them with a smile.

"No," Leora answered, oblivious to the way the dragon slayer was currently flustered. She casually made her way back inside.

"What were you two doing?" Freed asked.

"Just talking," Leora simply replied, flopping onto her bed.

Laxus inwardly groaned at how nonchalant she was. Did she not have feel of embarrassment at all?! Any other woman would have at least blushed after being caught in a compromising situation like that.

Brushing past the trio still standing in the middle of the hotel room, Laxus grunted. "I'm heading back to my room." As he walked past Bickslow, the seith mage placed a hand on the lightning mage's shoulder.

"Good luck, Laxus" Bickslow cackled. Laxus growled when he caught the insinuations that the mage was making. He was _not_ making a move on the dragoness.

That would be absurd…Right?

* * *

"How exciting it is to be at the second day of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati announced as the start of the second day of the Grand Magic Games was about to start.

Laxus stood with the rest of his team as they watched Gajeel leave the stadium for the surprise event. Apparently it was called Chariot. The announcer said that it would take about fifteen minutes to escort the competitors to their starting point.

Laxus was bored while leaning against the wall, when suddenly he heard voices outside in the hallway.

"Sorry lady, but this is for competitors only," said a male voice. It must have been the guard outside.

"Hmm…are you sure you can't make one _little_ exception?" The next voice sounded light and teasing. Wait. It was strangely familiar…

"U-Umm…" The male suddenly sounded flustered. "A-alright. Don't tell anyone I let you in…" What the hell was _she_ doing here? And what was she doing to make the guard sound like that?!

"Don't worry…it'll be our little secret," the voice purred. Laxus' brow twitched slightly as his mind conjured up some images that made him increasingly irritated. He was impatiently tapping his foot by the time the dragoness sauntered into the B team's competitor's stand with a smirk on her face.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing here?" Laxus growled. She was once again wearing her cropped corset which was _not_ leaving enough to the imagination. No wonder the guard was flustered…

"Hmm…can't a girl visit her guildmates?" Leora answered seductively. She quickly corrected her tone when she realized she was still stuck in her seduction mode. That guard was definitely too easy to get past. She had forgotten how single minded human men where.

Laxus was thrown off for a second by her flirtatious tone. He growled when he realized it was the same tone she used on the guard. He pushed himself off the wall to stand in front of the dragoness. "Spectators should be watching from the spectator's area."

"Laxus…" Mira interjected gently from the side. "Just let Leora-san watch with us. There's no harm." In fact, Mira was quite glad that the dragoness decided to join them this fine morning. She didn't miss the irritated expressions that Laxus had been sporting when he listened in to the dragoness' conversation with the guard just now. Expressions that looked strangely like jealousy…She held a dark smile as her matchmaking gears started to spin inside her head.

Laxus crossed his arms over his chest as he exhaled. "Fine."

"Hmph. It's not like I was asking for your permission anyways," Leora said as she brushed by him, quickly walking towards the ledge overlooking the stadium. In one quick motion, she swung her legs up and over so that she was now sitting on the stone ledge with her legs dangling over.

Walking over with a scowl on his face, Laxus stood a little to the left of the dragoness as they watched the lacrima screen appear above them in the center of the stadium. As soon as they saw what was happening they groaned.

"Why was Gajeel sent out for an event like this?!" Leora complained.

Chariot. True to its name, the event was a race atop a constantly moving line of chariots.

"How were we supposed to know?!" Laxus argued back. "Besides, Gajeel never said he had a problem with motion sickness."

Leora turned back to the lacrima screen. The dragon slayer was right. From what she remembered from the train ride to Crocus, the iron dragon slayer's motion sickness hadn't kicked in yet.

But then, why is he currently trailing behind all the rest along with Natsu and Sabertooth's own dragon slayer?!

Seeing another dragon slayer, Leora once again fiddled with the bracelet that masked her scent and presence.

Gajeel was horrified. "The one bad with transportation…should be Salamander…right?" His stomach churned with each step he continued to make.

Pantherlily was complaining from the stands, "What's happening? Why is Gajeel?..."

"Even the guy from Sabertooth…" Levy noted with a pitying smile.

"It can't be…I was fine with transportation…" Gajeel placed a hand to his mouth as he fought back another wave of nausea.

Sting tried to laugh, but even he was heavily affected. "Well then…ugh…you final got accustomed to it huh." He sent a mocking glare towards Gajeel, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"To being a real dragon slayer. Congratulations."

Leora couldn't help but steal a glance towards her own dragon slayer to her left.

"Could it be…Laxus too?" Mira asked, amused.

Leora barked out a laugh. Of course. Or else he wouldn't be qualified to call himself a dragon slayer. Let alone a Dragon Knight.

"Don't say a word to anyone else…" Laxus grumbled with his arms crossed over his chest. He glared over at Leora who was now openly laughing at his discomfort, amusement gleaming in her eyes. Given their close proximity, he accidentally spoke through their Bond. They've recently discovered that the Bond can be adjusted to allow for only certain channels to be opened while others remained closed. Just like how their communication channel was currently open while their emotional channel remained closed.

 _Damn dragon. It's your fault after all._

Even within her mind, his voice was deep.

Laxus watched as her brow raised and she smirked back, with one hand resting on the stone ledge as she twisted over and leaned towards him.

 _I can take it all back if you want._

Laxus scoffed. He knew she was teasing him.

 _You wish. You're stuck with me now._

Leora laughed as she turned back towards the arena right at the moment when Sting asked the two Fairy Tail dragon slayers why they decided to join in the Games.

"It's for our nakama," Natsu growled as he continued to crawl along the moving chariots, sweat pouring down his face. "For seven years…always…they were waiting for us…no matter how tough it was, no matter how sad. Even if they were made fools of, they endured and endured…and protected the guild."

Leora unconsciously gripped her hands together as she continued to watch. Why did her heart suddenly feel so heavy? Her eyes remained glued to the lacrima screen in front of her as Natsu continued.

"For our nakama, we'll show you. The proof that Fairy Tail has kept going!" Natsu shouted from the top of his lungs. "And that's why we'll keep moving forward!"

Leora could smell all the tears in the air as the rest of the guild cried over what Natsu had said and done for them.

"This is Fairy Tail?..." she whispered out loud by accident.

Another voice, soft and gentle, suddenly entered her mind.

" _Hai. Don't you remember?"_

Leora's eyes shot towards Mavis who was sitting in the Fairy Tail spectator stands. The child-like woman was looking at her with a gentle smile. Her mind flashed back to her memories with Mavis…and with the others at their guild. Their Fairy Tail. The smiles…the laughter…nothing seemed to have changed.

Ah…This is Fairy Tail. No matter if it was a hundred years ago or now. It was still the same.

How could she have forgotten?

Mavis' smile grew in conjunction with the dragoness' softer more reminiscent one. It seems her dear friend was starting to remember what it is like to be a part of this family.

Leora heard a chuckle to her left. She glanced over to see the dragon slayer looking up at her while leaning with his back against the stone.

"Of course, Sunshine." Laxus said with a small smile before he reached out a hand to ruffle her hair. It had taken a while, but he could see that the dragoness was starting to realize and become a part of the Fairy Tail family. It was something that he was becoming increasing pleased about.

The others all had gentle smiles on the faces as they watched the exchange before them.

And so, the Chariot event ended with Fairy Tail A and B taking the third and second last places in the event.

Despite the mood leftover from Natsu's heartfelt speech, Leora gave a dark and disappointing glare towards the iron dragon slayer as he returned to the stands.

"Oi. What are you doing here?" Gajeel asked as he walked up to the stone ridge. He refused to be intimidated by the dragoness. But when she didn't respond and only opted to continue giving him her disappointed glare, he couldn't help but sulk. "It wasn't my fault okay!"

Leora sighed, before giving the iron dragon slayer a very uncharacteristic pat on the head. Which only caused Gajeel to blow up with steam and the rest of the B team to laugh.

* * *

The battle events began shortly after the Chariot event ended.

The first to the stadium was Raven Tail versus Lamia Scale.

At the mention of the name Raven Tail, all of Fairy Tail looked towards their stands with dark, hateful glares. Leora coldly turned her head towards them, sending a dark smirk to the creature wearing a small scarf around his neck. She felt the dragon slayer's gaze on her, but she didn't want to acknowledge it. He was probably worrying for nothing. As long as Obra didn't try anything again she wouldn't do anything back.

The match ended unexcitedly with Raven Tail as its winner. As much as Leora wanted to feel for the canine like man from Lamia Scale, she couldn't help but deem him pathetic. Even after spending all this time with humans, they continued to surprise her. What sort of human cries over a shredded sock?!

The next match belonged to Quatro Cerberus' Bacchus and Fairy Tail A's Elfman.

Leora wasn't as familiar with Elfman. All she knew of the man was the very fact that all he seemed to like to say was, 'man'. He was another human that she deemed quite odd. As she watched, she wondered whether he would live up to the very thing that he always repeated. The beginning of the match was disappointing though. Despite a hearty effort, Elfman couldn't lay a hand on the on the other man. But of course it takes more than just heart to win a battle.

Laxus caught the bored and disappointed expression on the dragoness' face.

 _Don't be so quick to judge the man._

Leora raised a brow, but her lips remained flat.

But to her surprise she was quickly proven wrong. With a surprising Take-Over transformation into a spiked shelled lizardman, Elfman quickly turned the tables. Leora was slightly impressed. Even though those scales would definitely be unable to match her own in strength and durability, she was amazed that this Elfman could hold up like that.

Minutes later, in a battle of wills and of heart, somehow Elfman came on top. Leora gave her first applause of the tournament as Elfman's victory cry resounded throughout the stadium.

She turned to catch the smirk on the dragon slayer's face.

 _What did I say?_

Leora rolled her eyes.

 _Fine. You're right. Happy?_

She caught the arrogance in his 'voice'.

 _Of course._

The others watched the pair with confusion as they were unable to hear the silent conversation being held between them. All they saw were their changing expressions. It was quite amusing.

As she continued to watch the excited cheering from the crowds around her, Leora began to feel agitated, itching to join in on the battles as well.

Little did she know that it would be coming sooner than she thought….

* * *

Meanwhile, in the stadium infirmary, Charle was sitting quietly as Wendy talked to Elfman. After having just been kidnapped by a bandit guild and subsequently rescued by Natsu, she was worried. The bandits were aiming for Lucy, who had been in the infirmary the day before. What did they want Lucy for? As she thought, her mind flashed again to the premonition she had the night before.

A white knight. An enormous display of magic power. Mercurius collapsing and within that was Lucy, singing something.

But there was one other scene that bothered her.

A woman…with long blonde hair…surrounded by a bright light as she desperately ran through an enormous open set of doors.

Charle was unable to identify the blonde haired woman, as all she saw was her back as she ran.

But for some odd reason, she had felt so familiar.

* * *

The third match of the day was between Mira and Jenny Realight from Blue Pegasus.

Charle decided rejoin the non-participants after making sure that Wendy was alright. As she walked along the stone ledge towards Happy and Pantherlily, she took a quick glance around the stadium. She noticed Leora sitting casually over by Team B's competitor area, next to Laxus who was standing to her left.

Charle froze and her eyes shot wide open. She trembled slightly. A woman…with long blonde hair. But that's ridiculous, it couldn't be. She couldn't just go around associating the woman in her premonition with every blonde haired female that she came across.

"Charle!" Happy's voice snapped Charle out of her daze when he shouted cheerfully as he ran towards the white cat. "I was so worried! Are you okay?"

Charle answered with a smile. "Ah. I'm alright. Anyways the match is starting isn't it?" As she turned back towards the stadium below, she couldn't help but take another quick glance towards the blonde haired dragoness who was now focused on the stadium below.

Leora watched intently as the pair entered the coliseum. Mirajane…otherwise known as 'The Demon'

Leora was very interested in what this 'demon' was capable of. Which was why she was utterly disappointed when somehow this match turned into a…swimsuit competition?!

All the males in the stadium were practically sporting nosebleeds as the two Weekly Sorceror gravure models battled it out in a modelling contest. Leora didn't know what compelled her to look towards her left, but Laxus seemed quite uninterested in the whole affair.

Leora sat with disbelief and utter disappointment written all over her face as she watched Mira casually converse with her opponent as the continued to pose provocatively. This was the demon Mirajane?!

Laxus laughed when he saw the complete look of disappointment cross over Leora's face.

"Don't be so shocked Sunshine. Mira's not one for violence anymore," Laxus commented out loud.

"Why?" Leora asked. She definitely had the power, why not use it?

"That's something you'll have to ask her yourself," Laxus said.

Suddenly, Jenny bet Mira that whoever lost would appear nude in the next issue of the Weekly Sorceror. With the last theme of the contest being a battle form, Jenny quickly transformed.

Leora's eyes went wide as Mira followed suit. When the smoke cleared, the dragoness almost stood up as she noticed the twin horns that graced the mage's head as well as the geometric printed body suit. What had her stiffen was the familiar power signature that she sensed off the mage.

"Sitri," Leora accidently blurted out. The 'Demon' Mirajane had taken over Sitri, the fire demon. A Greater demon from the depths of hell.

She hadn't seen Sitri in centuries...

"Incredible," Leora whispered. To be able to take over a demon of that caliber showed the intense power of the mage standing in the stadium below.

"Hmm?" Laxus turned to look up at the dragoness with slight curiosity. "How did you know what it was called?"

Leora stiffened slightly. "…She told me one day that's all." She'd rather not explain to the dragon slayer how she knew of the demon.

Laxus raised a brow. What an odd thing for Mira to do considering the fact that she never liked to talk about her Satan Souls…

And with one strike, Mira knocked Jenny out, successfully winning the battle for Fairy Tail B.

"That was awesome," Gajeel commented with a slight shiver.

Laxus chuckled, with his arms crossed over his chest. "That's why you don't piss her off."

The last match of the day ended with an utter defeat for Sabertooth's Yukino Agria by the hands of Kagura Mikazuchii of Mermaid Heel. A devastating outcome for Yukino, who bet her life over the match.

Leora scoffed after the match. Humans were so stupid. They have no understanding of what it truly meant to swear your life away…

"Come on Sunshine. Day's over," Laxus said after the rest of Team B had already left the stands. They had decided to stay behind until the majority of the spectators had left the stands so that Leora wasn't too overwhelmed by the mass of people.

Swinging her legs back over, Leora landed gracefully back on the ground next to Laxus. "Coming."

* * *

The atmosphere in the Bar Sun was even more rowdy compared to the night before as Fairy Tail actually gained points today. Laxus and Leora were greeted by the already drunk members of guild when they entered late into the night. Seeing the Raijinsuu over by one side of the bar, they walked over to join them.

"Yo Boss! Dragon girl!" Bickslow greeted them when they sat down.

"Laxus! And Leora-san." Freed smiled. "So glad of you to join us."

Laxus raised a brow. "Where's Ever?"

Bickslow laughed maniacally. "Oh Ever won't be coming by tonight. She's spending some quality time watching over Elfman!" His babies decided to join in. "Elfman! Elfman!"

Laxus chuckled. "Ah I see."

"Yo Kitten!" Bickslow exclaimed with a sly smile on his face. He hadn't used that nickname of his for a while, but seeing Laxus' face was quite worth it. Making fun of his boss had never been this fun. Bickslow threw an arm over the dragoness' shoulder, but it was quickly pushed off by her in a moment. Unfazed, Bickslow continued to laugh. "I've got something for you."

"What is it?" Leora asked. She liked gifts. Well as long as she could add it to her hoard.

Bickslow signalled to the bartender who brought over a mug of beer for Laxus and bottle of liquor with a strangely familiar label. Leora raised a brow when the bottle was put down.

Hellfire.

"I take it you remember this?" Bickslow said with a wide grin. Leora nodded slowly. She remembered consuming it with Gray the night after she bonded with the dragon slayer. But anything after that was a blank.

"Bickslow..." Laxus snarled. The last time the dragoness got drunk off of this she spent half the night draped over the stupid ice mage…

"Oh lighten up Boss! Let's have some fun!" Bickslow laughed. "Don't worry, we won't drink as much as last time." Freed could only watch on the side as he sipped on an apple martini. He didn't like where his friend was going with this, but he knew not to interfere with Bickslow's plans.

Before Laxus could protest, Leora butted in. "Alright."

Bickslow barked out a laugh. "Excellent!"

A couple shots later and Leora was beginning to feel that familiar warm and fuzzy feeling inside. At that moment, Lucy, Gray and Erza entered the bar to join in on the fun. Erza immediately went to the bar to ask for a slice of strawberry cake.

"Gray!" Leora exclaimed when she spotted her drinking buddy from last time. The dragoness immediately shot up from her seat and walked towards him with the bottle of Hellfire in her hand, slightly swaying.

Gray was shocked as he saw Leora stumble towards him. With a bottle of Hellfire no doubt.

"Again!" Leora shouted as she held out the bottle towards him.

"Uh…I don't think it's the best idea Leora…You know…I still have to compete tomorrow…heh…" Gray stammered with his hands up in front of him. There was no way that he'd miss the dark aura emanating from Laxus who was sitting at the table behind the dragoness. His eyes were glaring at him as if saying 'just you try it'.

"Aww…you're not fun Gray…" Leora pouted. She turned to walk off when she suddenly noticed Erza sitting off to the side with a slice of something that smelled of strawberries.

"Ah Leora, care to join me?" Erza asked politely when the dragoness approached. Leora nodded then proceeded to stare intently at the slice of cake after she sat down.

"What is that?" Leora suddenly asked, her face inches away from the slice of strawberry goodness.

Erza's face suddenly paled. "Y-You…You don't know what strawberry cake is?!" Erza was completely appalled. How could one go through life without having experienced the wonder that is strawberry cake. That's unimaginable!

Erza's face hardened with determination. "You must try some!" Lucy, who was sitting near Erza, suddenly perked up in shock. Erza never shared her cake with anyone. This was unheard of…

The red headed woman quickly dug her fork into her slice of cake and cut out a piece for Leora. She reached her hand out to pass the fork to the dragoness...but Leora suddenly grabbed a hold of her hand instead. Erza's face, along with anyone else's that was nearby and saw the exchange, immediately blanked. Everyone's eyes flickered back and forth between their conjoined hand and Leora's face.

Leora placed the piece of strawberry cake into her mouth, slowly savouring it before she pulled back on Erza's hand to remove the fork. She took in the sudden burst of sweetness from the strawberries in her mouth before savouring the soft texture of the cake.

"It's good!" Leora exclaimed happily as she swallowed the piece of cake.

Erza on the other hand was as red as a tomato after the dragoness had let go of her hand. Lucy was watching with her jaw dropped to the floor.

"W-What are you-?" Erza stammered as she stared at her hand and the fork. W-What an intimate gesture!...I-It should only be used between c-couples…preferably if it was her and…Jella-

Erza couldn't finish that thought without her mind imploding on itself.

"Mmm?" Leora answered, slightly confused. "It's supposed to taste better that way no?"

"W-Who told you t-that?!" Erza asked, still flustered.

"Laxu-mphm" Leora's mouth was quickly muffled by a large hand. She tilted her head backwards to see the dragon slayer glaring down at her with what looked to be a slight blush on his face.

"You've had enough wandering around." Laxus mumbled as he quickly steered the tipsy dragoness back towards his table. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he pushed down. "Sit." He inwardly groaned. He should have expected her to remember what he had told her two days ago. Though he should've known she had taken it seriously when she spent the whole day forcing him to feed her…

"Laxus…" Freed said, slightly horrified. It didn't take a genius to make out the rest of what Leora had wanted to say. "What have you been informing Leora-san?"

"Nothing," Laxus replied curtly, his voice slightly rough. Can people let it go now?

Laxus turned to watch as Bickslow gave the dragoness another shot with a sly grin. He growled. She definitely _didn't_ need any more alcohol in her system. Especially not from that cursed concoction.

* * *

The night ended with Laxus once again hauling the drunk dragoness back to the inn over his shoulder with the Raijinshuu following suit. Given the fact that she consumed less alcohol compared to the last time, she spent the entire walk spouting nonsense and trying to catch Bickslow's babies while they flew around her.

After arriving at the inn and tossing the blonde onto her bed, Laxus turned to leave when she finally started mumbling words that were remotely understandable.

"I...I like Fairy Tail…" Leora mumbled as she turned onto her back. The Raijinshuu all looked at the sleepy dragon with soft smiles on their faces. To think that the big scary dragon they had met just months ago could change so much in such a short period of time. But their smiles quickly turned into frowns when they caught what she said next.

"I'll be sad when you all leave me…"

Bickslow and Evergreen moved to sit next to the dragoness while Freed and Laxus stood at the foot of the bed.

"Oi, dragon girl. What did we say before?" Bickslow reminded the dragoness.

"Not to look that far…" Leora pouted, her golden eyes sparkling from the moonlight streaming in from the window.

"Exactly," Evergreen said with a smile as she smoothed a stray lock of hair from the dragon's face. They could see that Leora was struggling to stay awake as she started to blink much slower.

"You should sleep, Leora-san," Freed said. "We'll wake you in the morning."

"Okay…" And with that the dragoness closed her eyes and snuggled further into the sheets.

The Raijinshuu looked towards Laxus who had a solemn expression on his face.

"We'll take care of her, Laxus," Evergreen said. "You should get some sleep. Who knows if you have to compete tomorrow."

Laxus merely nodded before walking out of the room. While he had been happy at how close the Raijinshuu and the dragoness had become, his mind still dwelled on what she had said.

 _"I'll be sad when you all leave me..."_

It was a strong reminder to him that she wasn't human.

And he was.

* * *

After the Raijinshuu had gone to bed themselves, Leora began tossing and turning in her sleep. It was a familiar dream of hers, but one she hadn't dreamed of in many years…

" _Let go of me!" she shouted. "Where are you taking me?!"_

 _She couldn't see through the blindfold they had placed over eyes. She didn't remember how it had all happened. The last thing she remembered was running. Running as fast as she could away from the place she called home and into the woods. She had been looking back as she was running when all of a sudden she saw black. When she came to she was being dragged along what felt like a damp and dirty corridor. There was something cold and heavy around her wrists._

 _She suddenly felt a sharp kick to her stomach._

" _Shut up!" The voice was rough and belonged to a man. From the way he smelled…wait. Why was her sense of smell so poor?!_

 _And her hearing, why couldn't she hear anything beyond this corridor?!_

 _She tried to conjure up her power, but there was nothing._

 _What was happening?!_

 _Suddenly, she heard a loud creak before she was thrown roughly onto the ground. She felt dry straw underneath her hands as she sat herself up. Moments later, her blindfold was removed. Her eyes adjusted to the dim torch-lit area as she tried to figure out where she was. She looked to be in some sort of dungeon, as she was surrounded with tall iron bars. In front of her, at the door to her cage, there was the man who had thrown her in._

 _His face was gruff and scarred and he wore clothes that seemed to belong to the common people. His face held a discomforting smirk as he stared down at her._

" _Now little dragon, if you play nice, we might be able to put you somewhere nicer."_

" _W-What do you want with me?" she asked, slight fear reaching her voice._

" _Oh…nothing much," the man laughed manically. "Just need you to burn some villages down when we ask you to."_

 _Of course. They just wanted her for her power._

 _She spat at her captor. "As if I'd help pathetic humans like you." That earned her another slap to the face causing her to cry out in pain as she fell back to the floor._

" _You don't seem to understand your situation do you?" The man gripped her up by her clothes, which were practically in shreds after she had been dragged along the ground. "You don't have a choice. Those handcuffs aren't just for show. Found them a while back. Strong enough to even hold down demons, so they'd be plenty strong enough to hold down a puny dragon like you."_

 _The human dropped her back down to the ground as her eyes widened in horror. Is that why she wasn't able to use her power? She clawed at the restraints around her wrists, but they didn't budge._

 _The man laughed at her pathetic struggles. "I hope you come to your senses soon missy, or you'll rot in here." She could hear the man's laughter getting quieter as he walked away._

 _She growled. "Let me out of here!" She banged her fists against the iron bars and even tried to claw her way through, but it was no use. There was no strength left in her body. She felt like a human._

 _Weak._

" _Just give it up," A voice suddenly spoke from her left. It also sounded…tired. "Those bars won't break."_

 _She quickly looked to her left to see a small raven haired boy staring at her through iron bars. She immediately noticed his piercing green eyes through the dimly lit dungeon. Sharp emerald irises accentuated dark slitted pupils. A large contrast to how pale and broken his body looked, those eyes were full of life and…determination? The small boy wore only rags, was covered head to toe in dirt and had similar metal cuffs around his wrists. He looked young. Even younger than she and she was only around a hundred years old. This boy looked to be around fifty. She didn't know what that would be in human terms._

" _Who are you?" she asked as she walked closer. Tall iron bars separated his cage from hers._

 _Instead of answering her, he only repeated her question. "Who are you?"_

 _Before she could stop herself she blurted out her name. "I'm Leora." She gasped and quickly covered her mouth. Her mother had told her how important her name was and she was never to tell anyone unless she trusted them. Why did she say it so easily?_

" _Lea?" the boy mispronounced._

 _She huffed. "It's Le-OR-a." Once again, she was shocked at how easy it was for her to tell him her name. Annoyed that had so easily forgotten her mother's teachings, she pouted and glared at the boy. "Well I told you my name. What's yours?"_

" _Me?"_

" _Is there anyone else here?" she replied sarcastically. She knew she was being rude, but she was dirty and tired and felt as weak as a human. The metal cuffs sat heavily on her wrists. She simply didn't care for formalities anymore._

 _The boy sat up taller and looked straight into her eyes. For some reason she couldn't look away from his piercing green eyes. It sent shivers down her spine. They looked so familiar…Why?_

" _My name is Rhaegal."_

Leora sat up with a gasp. Breathing heavily, she glanced frantically around, only calming down once she remembered where she was. Taking a look out the glass doors to the balcony of the hotel room, she noticed the sun starting to rise. Why had she had that dream?

Why now?

* * *

 _ **A/N: I struggled trying to find the right balance between following the manga directly and adding in my own lines, which is why most of the Grand Magic Games will be from Leora's point of view. And to answer one of my reviews (thanks Trewill91 !** **), yes I will be following some parts of general plot of the Games, but I'll also be adding in a couple of things of my own. This will be much more apparent next chapter, but I've already placed things here and there in this one.**_

 _ **And for those who recognized it, yes it was borrowed from Game of Thrones (which I do not own). And yes I'm a book reader and not a show watcher which puts me at such a disadvantage now that the show is ahead of the books :'(**_

 _ **Anyways, thanks for all the support and staying with me! I just realized I've reached 100,000 words now and I haven't even gotten to most of what I wanted to write...which is both exciting and scary at the same time.**_

 _ **Until next chapter!**_


	16. Arc II-16: Release my dragon

**Chapter 16**

"We have finally reached the middle portion of the Grand Magic Games, here on the third day!" Chapati announced.

"And the competition event is…Pandemonium!"

And so, Erza was sent out from the Fairy Tail A team, while newly appointed reserve member Cana announced that she would go for the B team, given Jellal was unable to show his face since Lahar from the Magic Council was made a guest judge for the day.

Mato, the pumpkin, joined the contestants in the middle of the field. "Now I'll go over the rules of Pandemonium." Suddenly the ground shook and an enormous dark castle emerged in the middle of the stadium.

"Amazing…" Lucy noted, as she watched the castle assemble right in front of her. The rest of Fairy Tail A were also leaning against the stone ledge and watching excitedly as the sight unfolded before them.

A voice sounded from behind them. "Pandemonium…"

Fairy Tail A suddenly turned towards the unexpected voice.

"Leora?!" They exclaimed. There, standing by the entrance to their competitor's area, was the dragoness. Wasn't she supposed to be in the spectator's stand?

Giving them a gentle smile, Leora hopped up onto the ledge and sat down, once again swinging her legs over the stadium. "Good morning."

"A..Ah. Good morning Leora-chan!" Lucy greeted the dragoness. Her mind couldn't help but replay her scene with Erza from last night. Even now she was still feeling flustered for the red-head. It was a good thing she was the one competing today.

Mato continued just as the castle finished composing itself. "This is the temple where evil monsters nest…Pandemonium."

"I-It's huge!" Natsu shouted in awe.

"Umm…" Wendy asked as she walked up to the dragoness. "Aren't you supposed to be with Laxus-nii?" The young dragon slayer had heard that Leora was over at the B stands yesterday.

Mato started to explain the event, "Within the temple there are a hundred monsters that we've created with magic." The pumpkin continued to explain the rules, specifying the ranks and points of the monsters from D to S. Mages would then be allowed to decide how many monsters they wished to challenge during their turn.

"What's wrong with mixing things up?" Leora asked with a tilt of her head.

"N-nothing…" Gray replied. Except for the fact that they seemed to be getting some directed glances from the lightning dragon slayer over at his area. Seems like he wasn't too happy that the dragoness had decided to sit them today.

By that time, the order of the competitors had already been determined, with Erza as the first contender.

"Shush!" Natsu interjected. "We're missing it!"

Erza's voice resounded throughout the stadium as she made her next statement. "All one hundred will be my opponents!"

"My challenge will be one hundred!"

The entire stadium paled. Did they hear her right?

Natsu's and Gray's laughter could be heard ringing throughout the stadium as the crowd erupted into chaotic chatter. Leora raised her brow. All one hundred?

Now that's worth watching.

"That's impossible! It's not set up so that one person can defeat them all!" Mato exclaimed. Was this woman serious?!

"I don't care," Erza stated simply as she slowly ascended into the castle.

Into Pandemonium.

Leora couldn't tear her eyes away from the lacrima screen even if she wanted to.

Erza's fight against the monsters of Pandemonium was like a beautiful dance of swords. Graceful, yet powerful at the same time. One by one, the crimson warrior felled foe after foe within the castle of monsters, eliciting roars of excitement from both the crowd and her guildmates.

Leora had been impressed when she had previously fought against this scarlet flower, but now it seemed that she had truly blossomed with pride.

Erza Scarlet.

Titania.

 _You have grown._

Tears welled in the eyes of those that belonged to Fairy Tail as they watched their comrade fight on, despite being covered in numerous wounds. In their eyes, Erza was finally making up for their past seven years of failures, of embarrassments. Finally, Fairy Tail was making their comeback.

Their time was now.

The crowd fell into complete chaos.

"Un..unbelievable! By a single person…all one hundred monsters have been defeated!" Chapati shouted into the lacrima microphone in excitement and shock. "Is this the true strength of the guild said to be the strongest seven years ago?"

Leora smiled. Yes. Yes it is.

Covered in blood with her sword raised high in the air, Erza Scarlet reigned victory as the last of the monsters fell to the ground. The look in her eyes was like that of a true warrior.

That was the second time Leora applauded in the tournament.

She watched with a smile as the rest of Fairy Tail A team jumped into the stadium to congratulate their team member. This tournament was not good for her heart. She hadn't been impacted by things like this for a very long time. She had forgotten what it was like to feel for her nakama…

After the spectacular that was Titania, Leora was justifiably uninterested in the MPF competition that followed. However, she was fascinated by Cana. When the card mage casted Fairy Giltter she couldn't help, but steal a glance at Mavis, sending her an inquisitive look. As if sensing her gaze, the First Master simply gave her a guilty smile. She chuckled and shared the same look as her friend, having absolutely no problems with the magic that Mavis had lent to the girl.

Anything to win right?

* * *

The battle portion of day three commenced shortly after the MPF competition. In no time, the first match was decided with Millianna of Mermaid Heel defeating Semas of Quatro…Puppy.

Soon after, Sabertooth's Rufus defeated Blue Pegasus' Eve. Though it wasn't as interesting as his show in the first day, Leora still thought the Memory Make mage's magic to be entertaining.

She was even impressed by Wendy's performance against Lamia Scale's sky god slayer, Sherria. For a child so young, she possessed quite strong powers. She would grow up to be a very capable dragon slayer indeed.

However, Leora's mood dampened when she heard the last pairing of the day being announced.

Fairy Tail B's Laxus Dreyar versus Raven Tail's Alexei.

While the rest of the B team was unworried, placing complete faith in their team member, Leora couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy. The same feeling was apparently shared by the Sixth Master, given he had quickly set up Biska on top of the coliseum to keep an eye on Ivan, while the Raijinshuu and Lisanna were in another section keeping an eye on the rest of the Raven Tail competitors. Warren was being used to communicate between them all.

"Ivan…" Makarov said, his voice low. "I won't allow your cowardly tactics a second time."

Mavis giggled.

"What's wrong First Master?"

"Nothing," Mavis smiled up at the sky. "All of you would do anything to protect your friends." The pale blonde woman turned towards the Sixth Master. "It's splendid. The ultimate form of the guild that I've hoped for is now right before my eyes."

Mavis turned to look towards Leora over by the A team section. She let out a smile when she noticed Leora's strong concentration on the stadium below. It seemed like someone else was just as ready to protect their nakama.

The pair stepped forward into the stadium and the match began. But before Laxus could get a word in, he was immediately struck by Alexei.

Leora raised a brow.

The other guild members were stunned. They were sure this would be an easy win for Laxus. But in quick fashion, Laxus was hit by another series of blows.

"You're kidding me…" Gajeel said.

Cana was shocked. "Is he getting beaten?"

Even over at the A stands, they were astonished.

"Laxus is…" Lucy said warily.

"W-What's happening?" Wendy asked nervously.

"That masked guy…who is he?" Gray asked through gritted teeth. Natsu could do nothing, but watch the match in grave anticipation. The rest of the A team all looked towards Leora to see if they could get any answers, but she only seemed to sit there with an apathetic expression on her face.

As if she didn't care that Laxus was getting pummeled in the stadium below.

Wait…was she…smiling?

* * *

Laxus looked down with his arms crossed as another version of himself fell to the ground in front of him.

"What's the meaning of this."

Alexei chuckled, obviously proud of his own work. "It's a kind of illusion magic. The others around here can't see our real bodies, the ones that are talking right now. Nor can they hear our voices. Rather, right now, they're simply watching illusions fighting."

He continued when Laxus obviously didn't look like he'd respond. "Well done right? The spectators are watching the scene of a Laxus that is unable to even lift a finger. Not a single person has noticed."

Laxus wasn't so sure about that point. He took a quick glance over to where Leora was sitting next to a horrified A team. He caught the entertained smile on her face as she sat on the ledge with one leg crossed over the other.

Tch. She _would_ find entertainment in watching him getting beat up.

Meanwhile the rest of Fairy Tail wasn't so amused.

"Why is Laxus getting so one-sidedly…" Makarov exclaimed in shock. _"Bisca!"_

"Ivan hasn't moved," the sniper commented.

" _Raijinshuu plus Lisanna!"_

"Nothing from here either…" Lisanna answered.

The Raijinshuu were all on edge.

"Impossible Laxus! Hurry up and fight for real!" Freed shouted. This was ridiculous! The Laxus he knew would never fare this badly in a fight! He took a quick look over at Leora and was completely shocked when he saw that she was smiling.

Laxus was being beaten to a bloody pulp and she was smiling?!

"Why is sh-"

"Forget about it Freed, let's just focus on cheering on Laxus." Bickslow said through gritted teeth. It wasn't just Freed that had noticed the dragoness' amused look. Bickslow and Evergreen both sent a dark glare towards the dragoness. Right now, she seemed like she had reverted back to the dragoness from when they had first met.

Cold and uncaring.

* * *

"It seems like you're admired even in the guild. I wonder what your friends are feeling right now as they watch this," Alexei commented.

"Oi, oi. I don't understand your intentions at all," Laxus said. "What's the point of you winning with an illusion?"

"Exactly. Our aim isn't 'victory'. And depending on our discussion, I can even let you win…"

"We have nothing to discuss," Laxus growled. "I don't care for any illusions. Right here, right now, I'll dispose of the real you and put an end to this."

Suddenly the entirety of the Raven Tail team materialized in front of Laxus.

"Sorry…But even you wouldn't be able to simultaneously defeat all of Raven Tail's elite."

"And one more thing…" Alexei added as he took off his mask to reveal the face of Ivan Dreyar. "You should know of my strength right? Stupid son."

"I figured it would be like that. Shitty dad."

Outside the illusion, things didn't look any better. The illusionary Laxus was still unable to defend against the attacks made by the illusionary Alexei. The whole stadium was quite shocked at what they were witnessing and the entire guild of Fairy Tail was on edge.

Well, all except for one.

Suddenly, amidst the hushed stadium, a single applause could be heard. Everyone looked towards the woman who was sitting at the Fairy Tail A team's competitor section. She was beautiful, her long blonde hair billowing in the wind as she sat there on stone ledge with one leg crossed over the other, but her attitude was opposite from what one would expect. The woman continued to clap slowly and soon enough a laugh could be heard bubbling from within her chest that echoed throughout the stadium.

"What the hell?!" Bickslow shouted from his spot. How the can she be laughing at a time like this!

"Leora how could yo-" Natsu angrily moved to confront the dragoness, but was stopped by her outstretched arm. Her laugh quieted down and she pressed her lips into a knowing smile.

* * *

Leora was definitely impressed. The illusion before her was stronger than most she had come across over her many years. Similar to what anyone else must be experiencing, all she could see and hear was the dragon slayer being beaten down by this mysterious Alexei. But, of course she wasn't just anyone. Even with the Bond closed to their emotions and powers, she was able to sense the physical condition of the dragon slayer.

And not only was he uninjured, but he wasn't even exerting any energy at the moment.

Though, she didn't even need the Bond to know that. Which is why she was currently a little disappointed wit the dragon slayers of her guild.

She had to admit though, despite having elevated the dragon slayer to nakama status within her mind, watching him being thrown around like this was still quite entertaining to say the least. Even during their training on Tenroujima, she had never been able to reduce him to a state like this. But, by now she was starting to get a little tired of watching this farce.

Letting out a deep sigh, she called out to the man whom she knew could hear her.

"Laxus."

Leora's calm voice showed hints of boredom as it resonated throughout the entire stadium. Fairy Tail's members all gasped as they turned towards her and even the real Laxus immediately looked up.

That was only the second time that Laxus' name had ever left her lips.

Even inside the illusionary field, the members of Raven Tail turned to look up at the blonde, curious as to what she wanted to say.

She casually leaned forwards with a smirk on her face.

"As entertaining as all of this is," she said while gesturing to the scene below her. "Can you hurry it up? I'm getting bored."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock after processing her words. This wasn't the Leora that they knew…

Almost every single member of Fairy Tail wanted to run over to confront the dragoness who spoke down at their nakama with such a sarcastic and nonchalant attitude. How could she say such a thing when Laxus was obviously getting beaten like that? They all turned towards the Sixth Master, thinking he would act, but instead of infuriation, Makarov had a thoughtful expression on his face as he turned back to watch the stadium below. Even the First Master was not affected by her words.

Bickslow and Evergreen wanted to head over to deal with the dragoness, but Freed held them back. They turned around with surprise. Like the Sixth Master, they had expected Freed to react the most negatively towards Leora's words. And yet, he currently held the same expression as the Master had.

"She knows something…" Freed said as he stared at the dragoness. Even though she held such an apparent expression of disdain and contempt as she gazed down at the stadium, Freed noticed something else. Her eyes didn't have the same look as they did when they first met. Instead her eyes held complete trust and confidence as she looked down at Laxus in the stadium…

Bickslow and Evergreen turned to watch the dragoness as well, hoping to understand the reason for Freed's change of attitude.

* * *

Laxus rolled his eyes after hearing the dragoness' statement. "Hai, hai…" He turned back towards his father. "Oi, oi. Now look at what you've done. You've someone pissed off with your pathetic little illusions."

"That's impossible! T-That woman shouldn't be able to see or hear us!" Ivan protested angrily.

Laxus scoffed, "She doesn't need to see or hear to know what's going on."

"What the hell do you mean?"

Laxus shook his head. "A poor excuse of a man like yourself wouldn't understand even if I tried to explain."

"What?!" Ivan shouted in anger.

Laxus was done talking to his father. Whatever he had tried to tell him with all the Lumen Histoire business, he wasn't interested. Despite telling his father that his Gramps had been watching him this entire time, the stubborn man still refused to back down. All this talk about Raven Tail being the ultimate anti-fairy guild was annoying the dragon slayer. All five of them stood before him baring smug looks on their faces. Though, something felt a little out of place…

That blue weirdo with the large nose.

Did he always have two pets?

Regardless, he was done with all the needless chatter. Besides, if he waited any longer, the dragoness was actually going to get annoyed. And he really didn't want to deal with that.

Laxus sighed as he mentally prepared for battle, "You know, in the end, Gramps probably trusted you in some corner of his heart. Since you're family."

Ivan's expression darkened and he gritted his teeth in anger. "Silence!"

Moments later, Raven Tail attacked.

* * *

Natsu still couldn't understand what was going on. Down in the stadium below, Laxus was getting beaten to a pulp and yet Leora was as calm as the sea on windless day. In fact, she was still smiling as if she was waiting for something.

"Leora-" Natsu fumed slightly as she cut him off again. But this time, she tapped a finger to her nose.

Her nose? Why would the dragoness point to her nose…!

Natsu quickly looked back towards the scene in the stadium. As expected, there was Laxus, struggling to get up after yet again being beaten to the ground. His entire body was covered in cuts and scrapes.

Cuts and scrapes...

And yet…

He couldn't smell a drop of blood.

"There's no scent of blood…There's no blood!" Natsu shouted in fascination. It was loud enough that even the main Fairy Tail group was able to hear them. They were about to turn towards Natsu in hopes that he would explain himself, but in that exact moment another body of Alexei seemed to appear out of nowhere, crashing into the wall of the stadium.

Quickly after, the bloodied image of Laxus and the masked Alexei slowly wavered and disappeared altogether in a matter of moments.

In their place, the members of Raven Tail laid on the ground, defeated. One uninjured Laxus Dreyar stood victorious over them all, lightning still sparking over his body.

"Laxus!" Natsu shouted eyes wide.

"Laxus disappeared!" Gray exclaimed in shock. "Is this a different Laxus?!"

Leora only sat there with the same smile on her face as she watched and heard the panic throughout the stadium.

"A thought projection?!" Bickslow didn't know what else to say. The first thing he thought of wasn't how he was relieved at Laxus' victory, but it was of how wrong he was in doubting the dragoness. He should've known she had changed. Just thinking back to their conversation the night before…

What a terrible nakama he was.

In fact, despite their obvious relief and delight at seeing Laxus safe and sound, the rest of Fairy Tail couldn't help but feel disappointed with themselves. They all turned towards the dragoness, in hopes of apologizing.

"Leora…I…" Natsu started. He knew what he was thinking was wrong when he tried to confront her just minutes ago.

She cut him off one last time. "It's okay. I'm used to this." She wasn't lying, entirely. She had spent centuries being mistrusted and hated by humans.

It wasn't supposed to bother her anymore.

"What is going on here?!" Chapati shouted through the lacrima microphone, unable to hide his disbelief and excitement. "The identity of Alexei was Raven Tail's guild master…Ivan!"

The crowd continued to go wild as Chapati continued.

"Were the Laxus and Alexei who were fighting just now illusions?!"

"Laxus is the last one standing! The battle's over!"

"And when we weren't looking, the five of them attacked. The master himself even took part in the battle…This is against the rules no matter how you look at it!"

The crowd went wild at the reveal, as well as the realization of what just happened.

"He took out all the raven members by himself?!"

"First Erza, then Cana and now this?!"

"Fairy Tail is full of monsters!"

Fairy Tail B was just as happy as the rest to see their team member standing proud.

"The winner is Laxus from Fairy Tail B!"

Lucy, Wendy and Gray all smiled to themselves knowing that Laxus had gotten revenge for them.

Leora snorted, as she watched the arrogant expression on the dragon slayer's face. All the applause must be getting to his head. "Too slow."

"Tch. Slave driver," Laxus rolled his eyes as his head turned towards her, but inwardly he smirked. Glad to know that his dragon had believed in him from the get go.

* * *

One by one the members of Raven Tail were dragged out of the ring by the city guard. However, when the last guard turned back to enter the stadium to retrieve the last remaining member, he was suddenly blocked by an invisible force.

"What the-?" The guard spoke out loud. He brought his hands up in front of him and his palms once again hit an invisible barrier. "What is this?!" He banged his fists against the barrier but it wouldn't budge. All he could do was look into the stadium where only Laxus Dreyar and the mysterious blue faced man from Raven Tail now stood inside.

While the crowd was still reeling from the match, the Raijinshuu had run into the Fairy Tail A stands despite protests from the guards. Leora was fielding grandiose apologies from the trio when she suddenly noticed something off from inside the stadium. Turning back towards the battlefield, she cocked her head in confusion, wondering why Laxus was still there.

Her eyes darkened. More importantly, why was he there with Obra and his puppet? She continued to stare into the stadium, ignoring the protests from the Raijinshuu, when she suddenly noticed something else.

Something else on the puppet's shoulder that wasn't there the day before.

A small, dark, raven blue lizard, with emerald green markings all over its body.

And if Leora didn't have the dragon's vision she had, she wouldn't have noticed the small bracelet that hung around the lizard's neck. Her right hand unconsciously moved to finger the bracelet on her own left wrist. Coming to a sudden realization, she slowly glanced down at her wrists, before her eyes shot back up.

It was the same bracelet. Which meant…

Concentrating, Leora tried to use her senses to feel for the lizard's presence, its scent, anything.

But there was nothing.

It was masked. Just like herself. And there was no need for that unless…

As if knowing she was watching it, the small lizard suddenly looked straight up at her.

Leora stumbled backwards, eyes wide in horror. Her knees went weak and if it wasn't for Freed who caught her, she would have collapsed to the floor. But despite all that, her eyes remained locked onto the lizard's eyes.

Piercing green irises with dark slitted pupils.

She barely registered Freed's voice as he asked whether she was okay. By then, it was a tiny echo inside her head. All she could think of were those green eyes, glaring straight into her soul.

But that was impossible.

It couldn't be him. It had been almost two hundred years since she'd last seen him…

She was shocked out of her daze when the lizard's mouth slowly curled into a smirk, directed straight towards her.

"No…" Leora whispered. Immediately gathering strength back into her legs, she leapt towards the ledge, attempting to jump into the stadium when she was suddenly stopped by an invisible voice. Panicked, she placed her palms against the obstruction before her hands curled into fists. "No..."

The A team and the Raijinshuu had no idea what was going on with the dragoness. Until just moments ago she was so confident and unmoving, even throughout Laxus' entire match. And yet now, her face had gone pale and they could start to feel the panic coming off of her in harsh waves.

"Leora-chan? Are you okay?" Lucy asked, concerned. What is going on?

Leora banged her fists in a frenzy against the barrier in hopes of breaking it, but it was no use. Even her lightning wouldn't penetrate through.

Alarmed, she did the only thing she could do.

"Laxus! RUN!" Leora screamed at the top of her lungs. He needed to get out of there. Fast.

Before it was too late.

All of Fairy Tail looked towards Leora in both confusion and slight trepidation. What could make the dragoness react like this? They all looked into the ring, but all they saw was Laxus and the blue faced man standing in the middle.

Even Natsu was leaning over the ledge to see what was going on. "Leora what are you talking about? It's just that stupid Raven Tail guy. Laxus took care of him already don't you remember?"

But Leora couldn't hear him. In fact, she wasn't paying attention to anything besides the raven blue lizard sitting on the opposite shoulder of Obra.

Why was _he_ here?

Why was _he_ with Obra?

What does _he_ want?

"RUN!" She continued to shout, clawing at the invisible barrier. The rest of Fairy Tail started to worry. They had never seen the dragoness act like this before.

Ever.

* * *

Unfortunately, inside the field and within the barrier, no sound penetrated from the outside. Laxus watched the man before him with suspicion. One moment, the crowd was still cheering and the Raven Tail members were being taken out one by one and in the next the entire stadium was silent. He had looked all around and could see mouths moving, but no sound had reached his ears.

Laxus glared sharply at the mysterious man in front of him. "What is the meaning of this?"

Instead of the man speaking, the small creature he recognized started to chuckle. "Ah sorry for the inconvenience. I figured you'd want some silence. They can hear you, but unfortunately you can't hear them." The creature gestured towards the audience around them. "I know you just had an amazing battle, but unfortunately I can't let you go. My master has some business with you."

"You're Master? I believe I just dealt with your Master," Laxus gave a dark frown. His father was just dragged out of the stadium. What more does this tiny thing want?

"Hehe. Sorry, but there's someone else," Obra snickered. "Unfortunately, he doesn't deem you worthy of speaking to, so I will relay his message."

Laxus snarled. "What the hell are you talking about?" Suddenly the lizard with emerald markings on the blue man's other shoulder turned to face him. Laxus snorted. "Him? You're Master's a fricken lizard? Oi, you've got some real problems, but I don't really have time to deal with you right now."

Said lizard, started to bear its teeth. Which, surprisingly, was much sharper than Laxus would have expected. His brow furrowed when he suddenly noticed the small bracelet hanging around the lizard's neck. For some reason it looked faintly familiar…

"Oh my…I wouldn't say things like that. You'll only make him angry," Obra smirked. "And you wouldn't want to know what he's like when he's angry."

Laxus snarled. "Just get to the point."

"So impatient you humans are," Obra chuckled. "My Master here has a simple wish."

Laxus raised his brow, but didn't comment.

"You see, you have something of his," Obra continued. "But unfortunately there's only one way for him to retrieve what is rightfully his. Originally he was just going to wait until Raven Tail removed you, but we all know how that went. Now he wishes to finish the task himself."

"And how exactly does he think he's getting whatever it is he wants from me?" Laxus snarled, his body standing on guard.

Obra snickered. "It's very simple…"

"…by causing your death."

Obra crawled over to the other side of his puppet and removed the small bracelet-turned-necklace that hung over the lizard's neck. Almost immediately, Laxus was hit with a wave of pure, raw power.

What the hell is this? This raw power…felt so similar in nature to Leora's…

"Now if you excuse me, I will take my leave as I don't really want to die here." Obra cackled as he leapt off of his puppet and through the barrier, leaving the stadium. Moments later, the blue-faced man deflated to the ground leaving just the dark, raven coloured lizard.

It started to pulse slowly, like a steady heartbeat. But with each pulse, Laxus felt more power emanating from the lizard. He started to take a couple of steps back, away from the small reptile.

Suddenly, he felt Leora's presence banging against the door to his Bond. Confused, he opened the channel only to be hit with a wave of pure panic and…fear?! Laxus tried to turn towards the dragoness to see what was causing her concern, but suddenly a wave of darkness spread out towards him like a cloud, coating the stadium with a dark mist.

"What? What is happening to the stadium?" Chapati Lola announced through his microphone. Throughout the entire coliseum, the crowd hushed as they watched in awe. The dark mist spread out and up along the walls of the stadium, but seemed to stop spreading outwards after it reached the stone ledge, as if it was kept in by an invisible force. Instead, it continued upwards, climbing into the sky like a tall column of darkness.

Laxus couldn't see. All he could feel was the raw power pulsing against his senses and the rising fear coming from the dragoness. He cursed. They were too far to communicate or else he would have asked her exactly what the hell had her so worked up.

But moments later, he figured out why.

A harsh sound similar to the flapping of wings was all he heard as the mist started to swirl and clear away. Laxus covered his eyes with one arm as he protected himself from the sudden heavy winds.

Suddenly, a loud, ear-deafening roar swept over the stadium, shaking its foundations to the core and clearing away the remaining dark mist.

And instead of the tiny lizard, something else had replaced it.

Something that towered the entire height of Domus Flau.

A dragon.

With the mists cleared, Laxus could clearly see the dark monstrosity standing on all fours in front of him, immediately frozen by its appearance.

The dragon's outer body was covered in rough, raven blue scales and decorated with spiraling, emerald green markings while it's under belly was of a light, grey colour and seemingly smooth. Its large wings spanned the entire diameter of the stadium and was bird-like in appearance. Its massive tail curled around its body and also had similar emerald markings along its entire length.

The dragon's head was sharp and blunt with four elongated plates extended backwards like horns. It curved towards him with its mouth was wide open, revealing rows of massive razor-sharp teeth.

But its most striking feature was its eyes.

A sharp piercing emerald green.

"W-What is that?" Natsu exclaimed as he stumbled backwards. Why did he look so similar to…?

"That is Rhaegal," Leora exhaled, her voice quiet. For some reason, her mind decided to remember the conversation she had with Jellal only nights before.

 _Zeref didn't have a dragon._

No…

He had two.

"The son of Acnologia…"

xXx

 _"My name is Rhaegal."_

" _Rhaegal?" She repeated. "That's your name? Sounds so stuffy." She crossed her arms in front of her chest._

" _Ha?!" Rhaegal retorted. "How is that any better than Lea?"_

 _She plastered her face towards the bars in hopes that she can melt through to give the boy a piece of her mind. "I told you it's Le-OR-a!" The chains around her wrists rattled as her hands held the iron bars in front of her._

 _The raven haired boy made his way over to their shared cage wall as well. "Why do you even care what I call you?"_

" _That's caus-" She cut herself off. Even with her senses muted by the shackles on her wrists, given their current close proximity there was no way she'd mistake that scent._

 _A low growl could be heard rumbling from her tiny body. "Why do you smell like him?" Her hands gripped the bars even tighter, her knuckles turning white from exertion._

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _I said," she repeated, her voice dropping another octave. "Why do you smell like him?! Like the false Dragon King?!"_

 _The boy stepped backwards as if he was burned. His face turned to the left in shame. But despite that, all she heard within his voice was pure hatred._

" _He…He is my father."_

xXx

Chapati's loud yell could be heard over the microphone. "A dragon! A dragon has appeared in Domus Flau!"

Many of the spectators were confused, thinking this was merely another illusion, another attraction conjured up by the administration similar to Pandemonium. Which is why, no panic ensued amongst them. However, every mage present in the stadium knew that this was no illusion.

This was the real deal.

Almost immediately, Lahar and Yajima-san reacted, calling the magic guard to protect the spectators. They urged Chapati to continuing announcing as if this were a show, since since they couldn't risk the large scale panic that would ensue if the crowds were to realize this was real.

Makarov's heart was about to seize. His grandson was trapped in there with a dragon. "Everyone! We need to get down there to help Laxus!" All of Fairy Tail tried to rush into the stadium, but like Leora, they were blocked by the barrier. They tried attacking it with their magic, but they came to the same conclusion as the dragoness. Standing back, they realized in horror that all they could do was watch…

Mavis looked on with extreme worry, trying to determine a way for Laxus to get out of this. She looked towards the A team stands where Leora was standing still, next to Natsu and Wendy.

"Did you just say Acnologia?!" Natsu growled low. Beside him the rest of the A team and the Raijinshuu all stiffened. They were instantly reminded of the day they had encountered the terrifying dragon on Tenrou Island. The day they were sent into a seven-year slumber.

Looking at it now, this dragon bore very similar characteristics to Acnologia. Except for a sharper head and emerald green markings as opposed to cerulean blue, the dragon before them was practically identical.

"Hai," Leora admitted. She needed to remain calm. Her panicked state wouldn't do anyone any good. Especially not the dragon slayer.

Natsu growled and tried to leap over the stone ledge and into the stadium, but again the barrier stopped him in his tracks. He tried to punch through with flame covered fists, but to no avail.

"Natsu calm down," Leora said. "There's nothing much we can do." And that was what truly worried her now. Leora resigned herself to the fact that she was unable to get down into the stadium. Their magic and her powers couldn't penetrate the barrier from here. Thinking, she suddenly looked up towards the sky. Maybe there was one thing she could do for the dragon slayer…

She closed her eyes, her hair raising slightly as the wind started to pick up around the coliseum. The sky rumbled overhead and large thunderclouds rolled in. Raging lightning streaked across the clouds as the sky darkened. Suddenly, a tall column of lightning struck down from the clouds, hitting Laxus straight on.

The spectators looked on in shock, but the rest of Fairy Tail knew what was happening. Laxus would need all the energy that he could get. And what better way than to consume a little lightning before the toughest battle of his life.

* * *

After being struck by the lightning, Laxus felt his magic power being recharged to the max.

"Thanks for the snack, Sunshine."

And with an air of arrogance only he could master, Laxus stared down the dragon with a hardened look in his eyes.

"You're insane if you think I'm going to go down easily. You overgrown lizard."

With a loud roar, the dark dragon charged. Everyone held their breaths as they watched Laxus dodge the first blow, travelling at the speed of light. Reappearing behind the dragon, Laxus went for his first strike.

"Lighting Dragon's Iron Fist!"

The raven coloured dragon roared in fury as it immediately swung back around to swipe at Laxus, but he once again disappeared in a flash of lightning.

"Did you not know?" He appeared right over the dragon's head.

"I'm a dragon slayer." Laxus joined his hands together, lightning surrounding his arms.

"Lightning Dragon's Jaw!"

The blow struck head on and the dragon crashed head first into the ground, dust and dirt flying into the air.

The dust cleared moments later.

And with another ear deafening roar, the dragon rose again. Entirely unharmed.

* * *

Leora's eyes were wide in awe as she watched. This was not what she had expected. She had thought he would step back in fear and crumble under Rhaegal's sheer might. After all, he was only human. But right now, he was anything but.

He was fighting back.

She felt his courage and determination override his fears as Laxus dodged each swipe Rhaegal made at insane speeds even as the thunder raged overhead in the sky. This was unlike anything she's ever witnessed from the man before.

To stand before a dragon such as Rhaegal…

xXx

 _Her growls grew louder and echoed throughout the small dungeon. "Your father…"_

 _Her fingertips scraped at the iron bars and a part of her wished she still had her claws so that she could rip through the cage and into the boy's throat. "That false dragon killed my father!"_

 _Rhaegal's sharp green eyes shot back at her with tenacity. "Well that's one thing we have in common then."_

 _She pulled back slightly, confused. "What?"_

" _Acnologia," The boy snarled, his teeth bearing sharp canines. "He murdered my mother too-"_

"- _Right in front of my eyes."_

xXx

Laxus cursed. This was getting nowhere. He needed more power. Stepping into another one of Leora's lightning strikes, he breathed in as he was filled with more energy. Taking a risk, he stood still, concentrating his magic within him as he remembered what the dragoness had taught him.

* * *

Makarov's breath caught as he watched his grandson stop in the middle of the battlefield. What is the brat doing?!

But then, he saw it.

Dragon scales began to cover the side of Laxus' face and along his arms. The magic power in the stadium began to rise and push back against the raging raw power of the dark dragon.

"Impossible…" Makarov whispered. "That can't be…"

Mavis' expression remained serious, but inside she was in awe.

"Dragon Force…"

Sting and Rogue as well as the rest of Sabertooth had stayed behind to watch the scene. They had realized that whatever the barrier was made of, it was preventing any damage from reaching outside of the battlefield. Both dragon slayers watched in disbelief as Fairy Tail's lightning dragon slayer entered into Dragon Force. One that felt even stronger than theirs. But that should've been impossible.

"Only third generation dragon slayers can activate Dragon Force on command," Sting growled.

Rouge nodded. From the information they had gathered about Fairy Tail, the lightning mage should only be a second generation. How was this possible? There was no way…unless…!

Natsu had heard what the First Master had said. "Dragon Force?" He looked down at the stadium below, his eyes taking in Laxus' current state. The feeling he got was similar to the feeling he had when he was back in Nirvana, while he was dealing with Zero from Oracion Seis.

"That's the same form as Natsu at the Tower Heaven!" Erza exclaimed. The same appearance of dragon scales and the same feral, almost animalistic look in his eyes.

"Hai," Leora answered. "The ability to release the power of dragons through their own will."

"But, Laxus is only a-" Natsu wanted to finish his sentence, but he knew he would be incorrect. He wanted to say that Laxus was only a second generation dragon slayer. One that obtained his powers through the dragon lacrima embedded deep within his eye. But that would be wrong now. Staring at the very dragon that must have taught Laxus dragon slaying magic during the three-month training period, Natsu knew that Laxus was not the same man anymore.

And Natsu wasn't the only one who understood. The rest of Fairy Tail all glanced between the blonde dragoness and the lightning mage and they came to the same conclusion.

"Laxus Dreyar is a third generation dragon slayer," Leora announced proudly. As she watched him down in the stadium below continuing to fight Rhaegal will his newly activated Dragon Force, she realized he was more than that.

He was _her_ dragon slayer.

He was _her_ Dragon Knight.

"Laxus is fighting back against the dragon!" Chapati continued to announce, causing the crowd to roar in excitement.

Having activated Dragon Force, it seemed like Laxus was getting the upper hand. He seemed to be moving at a speed even faster than light as he continued to dodge the angry claws and fangs of the dragon.

His blows seemed stronger as well.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

The large blast of lightning burst across the stadium towards the dragon. A loud roar was heard as the dragon was slammed back towards one wall of the stadium. Had it not been for the barrier, the wall would have surely crumbled from the sheer force of the impact.

But once again, as the dust settled, the raven coloured dragon remained standing. Unscathed.

In fact, it only seemed annoyed.

The dragon's mood suddenly shifted as its eyes flashed a darker colour. The dragon's head tilted back and the winds raged around his jaws as a bright light gathered within its mouth.

"He's preparing for a roar!" Makarov shouted in alarm. He remembered that same posture from Acnologia, before the blast had sent Tenrou Island into the sea.

Except this time, there was no one to protect his grandson.

Panic arose amongst the guild members.

"He's going in for the kill…" Leora whispered in horror. The Raijinshuu, having stood near her throughout this entire ordeal, heard every word.

"Dragon girl! Isn't there anything you can do!"

"Please Leora! Save him!"

"Leora-san! Please!"

Their pleadings reached her ears, but she didn't register them as she continued to stare into the bright ball of light that was continuing build with intensity.

She had heard what Obra had said to Laxus before this all began.

Rhaegal was going to kill him.

She could feel his adrenaline and anticipation flowing into her through the Bond and after a moment she felt something else.

His fear.

She couldn't separate his fear from her own, but she could only guess what was going through his mind. Because it was the one thing she was thinking as well.

There was nowhere to run.

"The dragon! The dragon's going to strike!" Chapati shouted, trying desperately not to convey the panic in his voice.

Rhaegal's head pulled back and she knew it was coming. She knew he wasn't looking at her, but she couldn't help but get caught in those terrifying green eyes of his. The bright beam of light ripped through the air as the dragon released his roar. The stadium floor shook with its strength, the barrier protecting the ground from crumbling. As the blast was about to reach Laxus, who could do nothing, but raise his arms up in mock defense, she closed her eyes and felt for the Bond.

She held her breath.

xXx

 _Her voice trembled slightly. "He killed your mother…?" She shook her head in disbelief. That was absurd. "Liar!"_

" _Why would I need to lie?"_

" _I-I don't know!" She stuttered, slightly taken aback. "Who in the world would do that to their mate?!"_

" _My mother wasn't his mate." Rhaegal spat. "She was just another woman that he accidently had a child with. And that child was me." He turned his back to her. "I lived alone with my mother until I was forty. By then she was already old."_

" _Your mother…" She whispered. "She was-"_

" _Human," the boy answered. "Dragon blood is dominant."_

" _So that means…"_

" _I'm a dragon too."_

" _W-What happened afterwards?" she asked, her voice no longer as certain as it was before. Somehow she knew that this Rhaegal wasn't lying to her. Maybe it was because he held the same look of hatred she had when her father was killed._

" _When he found out about me, he came." Rhaegal's voice wasn't as strong anymore either. "My mother somehow knew he was coming and gave me some bracelet that would hide my scent and my presence. Then she told me to run. But I couldn't leave her alone. I was hiding in the bushes when he came." His entire body was now shaking. "She came out of the house to see him and…and he…"_

" _You don't have to-"_

 _His voice dripped with poison. "He ripped my mother's heart out of her chest."_

xXx

Everyone held their breaths as the blast enveloped the lightning mage. All members of Fairy Tail stood in complete shock and horror, tears streaming down their faces. How could this happen? After what he had just done, this was it?

The dust settled and they all waited for the sight of an empty battlefield, which would have proven their horrors true.

But there, in the same spot amidst the scarred stadium floor, stood Laxus.

Alive.

The crowd cheered, seemingly impressed by the realistic display of magic. But those of Fairy Tail couldn't hold back their shock and relief, choking up their cries. How could this be? They had seen the roar of energy envelop his entire being. A similar blast to the one that had sent Tenroujima into the sea. How was he still alive?!

A loud, pained choking cough originating from the A team stands suddenly caught their attention.

"Leora!" Lucy shouted, immediately running to the dragoness' side. The dragoness had doubled over, leaning against the stone ledge with a bent arm while the other was held across her chest. A trickle of blood was now trailing out from the side her mouth.

Laxus, after recovering from the shock that he was still alive, immediately turned towards Leora as he sensed her pain and injuries through the Bond.

He had felt it. He had felt her presence reaching through the Bond in the very last second.

Impossible…

She had saved him. Again.

Wendy immediately ran towards Leora's side, pushing through the Raijinshuu that was now crowded over her. "Leora! Let me heal you!"

Another cough racked Leora's body before she spat out more blood, the crimson substance staining the stone in front of her. "I'm fine." Her eyes reached the dragon slayer's down in the stadium below, his still wide open in shock and disbelief. She could feel his concern, but now was not the time. "The battle is not over baka." She knew he couldn't hear her, but he seemed to get the gist of as he turned back to face the dragon, who was now more annoyed than before.

"No you're not fine!" Wendy cried. She immediately stood next to her and got to work. Almost immediately, Leora felt her wounds healing. Ah. So this is the true power of a sky dragon.

The Raijinshuu looked on with tears staining their eyes as they realized what she had just done. She had taken the entire blunt of the blast in order to protect Laxus.

"Leora…" Freed started.

"Save it for later," Leora interrupted, still breathing heavily. The majority of her serious wounds had been healed by Wendy, but her own healing capabilities were still too poor. She wouldn't survive another hit if Rhaegal attacked like that again. Not in this form. In her humanoid form, her defense was cut immeasurably. "It's not over."

The raven dragon let out another roar of frustration and rage as the battle raged on between dragon and dragon slayer.

"There's got to be another way!" Evergreen cried. "We can't just watch like this. We've got to get down there."

There must be another way…the gears in Leora's brain began to spin at lightning speed. Evergreen was right. There must be another way…

!

There _was_ another way.

But she needed to find some way to communicate with Laxus.

The mages crowding around the dragoness stumbled backwards as she suddenly pushed them all aside. She climbed back onto the ledge and pressed herself as close to the barrier as possible, but their distance was still so far. She pushed against the Bond as hard as she could, hoping to establish a communication channel with him.

 _Please. Let my voice reach him._

 _Laxus!_

She continued to watch as Laxus dodged the strikes made by Rhaegal. She could tell that he was starting to tire with the way his breathing slowed. She was running out of time.

All the mages looked on in fear as they watched the dragon prepared itself for another roar. They looked towards Leora who was still panting heavily. They knew she wouldn't be able to stop the next blast.

 _LAXUS!_

Laxus didn't turn towards her, his eyes still concentrated on the dragon before him, but somehow she knew that she had reached him.

 _Here to listen to my last words?_

She cried out through the Bond.

 _Baka! Stop joking around! I can't take another one of those. You need to release me!_

She felt his instant agitation.

 _Are you insane?! You were the one who said it couldn't be done. Not with the strength of our Bond now._

Now was not the time to argue.

 _Don't worry about the specifics! I'll support everything on my end. Just summon me and do it!_

The roar continued to build and winds raged within the stadium. She could feel his apprehension, but she also knew that he would be able to feel everything _she_ felt at this very moment.

Courage. Determination.

Then she felt his own emotions change.

Trust.

 _All right._

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Leora closed her eyes and waited.

xXx

" _Summon you?" Laxus asked with disbelief as they were sitting through another training session. The blazing sun made sitting on the sands of the island much more uncomfortable, but there was no getting around it._

" _Yes," she sighed. "As much as I'd hate it, using the Bond, you have the ability to summon me directly to your side."_

" _You're kidding me." Laxus smirked. She didn't like the amused look on his face._

" _Don't you dare abuse it," she warned, her eyes narrowing._

 _Laxus chuckled, "Hai, Hai."_

 _She leaned back against her elbows on the beach, basking in the warmth of the sun. "There is one more thing."_

 _Laxus waited for her to continue._

" _As you already know, given its fragility, the Bond has equalized my powers to yours in order to protect both our bodies from the harm of my full life force clashing with your magic." She looked out towards the calm sea. "As our Bond grows stronger, my powers will eventually return to its full strength. More importantly, given time, our combined strength will grow, beyond the limits of our individual capabilities. That is the true power of the Bond."_

 _Laxus nodded in understanding._

" _But, in extreme circumstances, for a limited amount of time, you have the ability to release the full capacity of my power."_

" _How do I do that?" Laxus asked, eyes haven widened slightly._

" _You'll know when you need it," she simply answered. "The Bond will guide you. But." She turned towards him with a serious look. "It is of utmost importance that you do not do this until we are ready. Our connection right now, is too weak for you to release me. It'll cause considerable strain on the Bond and potentially huge injury to both of us."_

* * *

She'll regret all of it later, but right now there was no other option.

She paid no attention towards the sudden stop in the winds; a signal that Rhaegal had gathered his energy. All she could hear were _his_ words echoing inside her mind.

 _I call to the light and the skies as the Knight of the Great Thunder Dragon._

She felt the dancing arcs of lightning surround her body. Lightning that did not belong to her.

 _In my time of need, I summon thee to my side._

She felt her physical presence wavering, disappearing into the sparks around her as she answered his call. She felt her essence travel through Bond. The bright lights grew stronger as Rhaegal released his blast towards them.

 _In my time of need, I call to release the might of my Dragon._

She felt the chains around her powers slowly break apart as the heat of the blast danced against her skin.

 _RELEASE!_

* * *

None of the members of Fairy Tail had noticed that Leora had disappeared from them in a flash of lightning. All their attention was focused towards the stadium ring, eyes watering when they realized once again that the blast had hit, causing another large dust storm filling the stadium. And this time, when the dust settled there would be no second chance.

Tiny sobs spread throughout the guild and tears streamed down their faces.

Laxus was…

"Damn it!" Natsu cried out in frustration. How could this happen? He was a dragon slayer. How was it that twice now, he was unable to defeat the dragon? And this time it was worse. This time he was forced to watch as his nakama was killed by the very dragon he was supposed to defeat.

Suddenly Lucy shouted. "Natsu look!" Everyone ran to the edge of the stadium and looked down.

As the dust started to settle, they looked for any signs of Laxus' body. But all they could see in his place was…

Was…

A wing.

An enormous, amber dragon's wing.

The dust continued to part revealing the rest of the scene in the field. Natsu's eyes followed up the winged appendage, along its large wing bone until it fused in with a scale covered body of a similar amber shade.

A dragon's body.

"D-Dragon."

There, on all fours, was another colossal dragon that towered just about the height of Domus Flau. Only slightly smaller than the raven coloured dragon, sparks arced across its smooth dark amber scales and travelled along its lighter underbelly, as its large tail swished heavily across the ground. A stark contrast from the harsh, rough scales of the dark dragon, this one had smoother, softer looking scales giving it a more feminine appearance. As its head raised, Natsu could tell that the curves of its head were less sharp, with the exception of its jaws. Large razor-sharp teeth lined its entire mouth as its jaws opened.

The only indications that this was the dragoness they knew, were the appearance of her molten gold eyes, with black slitted pupils, narrowed in determination.

And the black thunderbolt shaped mark on her left chest.

If Natsu had any previous doubts that Leora wasn't a dragon, they were all completely erased as he stared in awe at the majestic beast.

The thunder clouds had gathered above the enormous lightning dragon, swirling heavily above her. Lightning crackled in the sky and threatened to strike down.

A different, ear-piercing roar shattered across stadium.

* * *

"T-Two dragons! Another dragon has appeared in Domus Flau!" Chapati shouted through the microphone. Lahar and Yajima-san had no idea what was happening. They only wished that the spectators remained unharmed as the continued to watch in anticipation.

All Fairy Tail could do was stand there in shock and relief. Smiles grew on their faces as they realized that they finally had a dragon on their side.

"Leora-chan..." Levy whispered as she stared up in awe.

Fairy Tail's…dragon.

"But! Where's Laxus?!" Mira shouted in concern. She was leaning over the stadium to try and find him, but he was nowhere to be found.

Everyone else also scanned the battlefield, but they weren't able to locate the lightning mage. Where was he? Was he caught in the blast after all?

They watched as Leora's wing pulled back, revealing what was hidden behind it.

"Laxus!" Makarov shouted. His grandson… his grandson…

He was alive.

There, now standing next to the towering dragoness was Laxus, hard determination in his eyes as he glared towards his enemy. Laxus would have spent more time to gawk at his dragon, but he didn't think his enemy would appreciate that. Though, he had to admit.

She was impressive.

Just from the quick glance he had taken, he had never seen something more radiant than the dragoness. She dwarfed him in size and only stood slightly smaller than their opposing dragon. Leora's wings raised and beat down, sending gales of wind towards the darker dragon.

The raven dragon stared down the dragoness and seemed to anger as if it noticed something it disliked. Immediately, another enraged roar answered the first, before it flew towards the dragoness.

But she was faster.

The lightning gathered around her jaws and Laxus knew what was coming.

With a loud roar, the blast of lightning left the mouth of the dragoness and crashed straight into the other dragon, sending him crashing back into the wall of the stadium. Not giving him time to recover, she burst forward at an insane speed to tackle the dragon.

Leora hadn't felt this alive in too long. Having been stuck in her human form for so long it was like a veil had lifted from her body. The power raging within her yearned for release.

The battle soon became a different kind of dance than that which was witness just earlier that day. Instead of a graceful dance of swords, this was a primal, animalistic dance of claws and fangs, both dragons unyielding towards the other. Raven and emerald mixed with amber in a mess of limbs as they tumbled along the battlefield. Growls and snarls filled the stadium as both dragons fought for dominance. Catching an opening, Rhaegal suddenly had Leora pinned to the ground, his head tilting back for another blast.

Suddenly a blast of lightning struck the side of the dragon's head causing it to rear backwards, allowing Leora the time to kick him off and roll away.

 _You didn't think I'd just stand here and let you take all the credit did you Sunshine?_

She couldn't believe that she was laughing in a situation like this, but she did.

 _Of course not._

Dragon and Knight continued to alternate their attacks, in hopes of defeating the dark dragon. In the stadium above, Fairy Tail and the rest of the mages continued to watch in grave anticipation, while the crowd went wild, still thinking this was merely an attraction.

The longer Leora fought, the more she didn't understand. She didn't recognize this dragon before her. The look in his eyes was different, undecipherable.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. After two hundred years apart, they were supposed to be celebrating, not fighting.

Why was he doing this?

Why?!

 _Oi, Sunshine! Pay attention!_

A large blast of light sent Leora crashing back into the stadium wall, causing her to let out a cry of pain. Growling, she stood again, but she could start to feel the strain the release was causing. She was rapidly running out of power.

 _Laxus, I'm running out of time. We have only one chance._

Laxus sent a worried look in her direction, but seeing the determination in her golden eyes as she moved to stand behind him, he could only laugh. He turned to face the dark dragon as well.

 _All or nothing then._

Lightning swirled around the pair as thunder raged above them. The skies darkened even further as their powers combined. Feeling for each other through the Bond, they held on tight as her power and his magic seemed to meld together.

Up in the stands, Makarov couldn't believe his eyes. "Is this...a Unison Raid?"

Mavis smiled gently. "No. This is the true power of the Dragon's Bond."

Both facing Rhaegal head on, lightning swirled around their mouths, concentrating with a blinding light.

"Lightning Dragon Knight's Roar!"

The twin blasts of lightning left their owners and swirled together, tangling and combining into one gigantic blast of lightning. A combination of both dragon power and dragon slaying magic; this was the true purpose of the Bond.

To deliver the deadly power of both dragon and slayer in one.

The angry blast of lightning enveloped Rhaegal's body and his thundering roar of pain could be heard reverberating throughout the stadium.

* * *

When the winds settled, and the thunder clouds receded to reveal the bright sun once again, the scene within the battlefield had changed. No longer were there two dragons. Instead, the lightning dragon had disappeared. In its place, a blonde woman lay naked on the ground, barely conscious as she stared up at the sky. A couple of feet away, Laxus stood, breathing heavily as he carefully watched his opponent who was lying on the ground at the other end of the stadium.

Turning towards Leora and realizing her state of dress, Laxus immediately retrieved his coat, surprised it was still intact, and draped it over her body, before lifting her within his arms.

He looked down at the battered dragoness within his arms with an indecipherable expression and was about to speak when movement was heard from the other end of the field.

The hearts of those at Fairy Tail could not keep up anymore. They had been relieved when Laxus and Leora's attack had struck down the dark dragon. But seeing their wounded state, they knew that they had no other way of defending themselves, now that Leora had reverted back to her humanoid form. They all held their breaths, hearts dropping and tears welling in their eyes as they watched the dark dragon return to his feet and stalk towards the pair, whom remained unmoving as he approached.

But they gasped as they saw the look their eyes.

Each and every one of them were caught in a sea of stormy blue and molten gold as Laxus and Leora's eyes, narrowed and hardened, conveyed a simple message to the raven coloured dragon with the piercing green eyes.

 _Bring it on._

Rhaegal faltered under their gaze and growled low, his head mere inches away from the pair. Laxus gripped the dragoness in his arms a little tighter, but did not move from his spot.

Leora snarled in return and Laxus, even though he had paid little attention when the dragoness had tried to teach him her native speech, had been able to catch what the dragon had said.

" _Hime-sama. I'll be back."_

And with a flap of his wings, Rhaegal disappeared from Domus Flau.

The stadium was silent for a moment longer until chaos broke out.

"They did it! They drove away the dragon! Laxus and his mysterious companion!" Roars of excitement and cheer could be heard throughout the crowd as they remained amazed at the amazing 'show' they just bore witness to.

Almost immediately, everyone from Fairy Tail had leapt onto the field, as the barrier seemed to have dropped as soon as the dragon had left the stadium. Laxus and Leora were immediately surrounded by a sea of crying guild-mates as they all tried to embrace them.

But in that moment, they only acknowledged each other's presence.

Leora glanced up at Laxus when she felt his gaze upon her. She let out a weak laugh. "You owe me."

All he gave her was a simple smile.

 _I know._

And with that, Leora finally relaxed and allowed herself to fall into the darkness. She passed out within Laxus' arms, having pushed her body and her powers too far.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I've been picturing this dragon scene since the very beginning, so I can't believe that I've finally been able to write it down. But oh my, writing these fight scenes is more work than I thought it would. I think I've read this through at least five times. It doesn't do my imagination justice, but I don't think I can do any better. Let me know what you think.**_

 _ **Anyways, until the next chapter!**_


	17. Arc II-17: Ryuuzetsu land

**Chapter 17**

Leora's breathing was slow and heavy when she finally regained slight consciousness. Her eye-lids felt heavy, protesting against her want to open them. She was vaguely aware of soft purples and oranges through her closed eyes, most likely from a setting sun. With more effort than she thought she needed, she opened her eyes only to come in contact with stormy blue.

The voice she heard was deep and oddly soothing, "You're awake." It took her a couple moments longer to connect the voice to its owner.

"D-Dragon slayer?" Her voice came out harsh as her throat was dry.

Laxus furrowed his brows as he fed her a glass of water. Back to simply being 'dragon slayer' was it? Well, one step at a time.

"Where am I?" Leora asked. She was obviously on a bed of some sort. She took a quick look around and her surroundings looked familiar. At the moment, it seemed that the only ones in the room were the dragon slayer and herself.

"The inn," Laxus answered. "Your wounds healed pretty quickly after Wendy took a look at them. We didn't see a need to keep you up in the infirmary. The others are at the bar. They didn't want to disturb you." More like _he_ didn't want them to disturb her.

Leora slowly sat up, leaning her back against the wall. Laxus tried to get her to lay back down, but she refused.

"You should be resting," Laxus commanded, clearly displeased. He didn't fully know the extent of the damage she did to herself when she supported her own release, but regardless the dragon shouldn't be walking about.

"I'm fine," Leora insisted, swatting the dragon slayer's hand away.

Laxus' eyes narrowed. "After fighting a dragon just hours before, you consider yourself fine?"

"Well," Leora admitted. "I'm physically fine." Which was not a lie. Her body felt heavy and sluggish, similar to the time when she had pushed past the limits of the slave mark and it had punished her. But this time it was not as severe; she still had most of her physical strength. She had just depleted her entire power reserve. Supporting the release like that took too much of her life force. She tried to call out her lightning, but as suspected, none came.

Laxus' eyes narrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm physically fine," Leora repeated. "But I can't reach my lightning. I don't have enough power."

Laxus growled. "Which is why you should be resting."

"I'll be fine in a couple of days."

"Then you can start moving around in a couple days," Laxus commanded.

Gold clashed with blue as she growled up at him. "Stop treating me like a child."

"Then stop acting like one. Don't you understand how worried we all were when you passed out?" Laxus pressed. Fairy Tail's relief was short-lived in the stadium after she had passed out in his arms. Thankfully, Wendy was immediately present and healed her physical wounds. Though, even she had noted that the problem was not physical. If she had lost her lightning, then at the moment she was defenseless.

Laxus would never let her know, but he hadn't left her side since the incident.

Leora was slightly shocked. "Why?" She was unsurprised when Fairy Tail went insane when Rhaegal appeared and Laxus was trapped inside the stadium. But, why would they need to worry over her?

"What do you mean why?" Laxus asked, as if it were a dumb question. "You're nakama remember? And Fairy Tail, takes care of ALL its nakama."

She didn't have words to respond to that, seeing as she was still currently processing that information. Though, she did notice a small warmth spreading within her body. Speaking of her body…

"What are these?" Leora asked, while poking at the bandages wrapped around her chest.

Laxus raised a brow. "Isn't that obvious?"

Leora took one more look at her bandages and sliced the wrappings around her chest straight down the middle with a sharp claw.

"What are you doing?!" Laxus asked, eyes widening slightly.

"I don't need them," Leora commented as she proceeded to pull the bandages off her body.

Of course, there was obviously nothing underneath, which meant her entire _bare_ chest was exposed to his wandering gaze. His eyes trailed along each mound before they settled on the black lightning shaped mark around the inside of her left breast. The one that had signaled to everyone else in that stadium that she belonged to him.

!

Where the hell did that thought come from?!

"At least put some clothes on…" Laxus took a sharp inhale, trying to calm his thoughts.

"I can't." Leora's voice was flat.

Laxus' brain connected the dots. "Oh right…" No lightning meant that she was unable to fashion her own clothes. He walked over to the suitcase Evergreen packed for the dragoness. Maybe at least he'd be able to get a t-shirt over that luscious body of hers…

"Why do you even care?" Leora commented as Laxus pulled a large sleeping shirt over her head. "You never seemed to be bothered before."

Ugh she was right. In the beginning, Laxus had thoroughly enjoyed the show whenever she walked past him in all her naked glory. So why was he so bothered by her now? When had he started being so conscious of her?

Leora tilted her head in confusion as she studied the dragon slayer. He seemed to have entirely forgotten to answer her question as he stared into space. She wouldn't be a dragon if she didn't catch the slight scent of his arousal in the air, but she had always assumed it was normal human behavior. Human men had always grown aroused by her very presence so over the years she had stopped noticing it.

So why did she start noticing _his_? She never did before.. Maybe their growing Bond was starting to mess with her head.

Realizing that the dragon slayer had left his job half done, Leora tried to lift her arms into the t-shirt, but failed as her arms felt like they were held down by rocks. Maybe she was more out of energy than she thought.

Noticing the dragoness struggle with the shirt had snapped Laxus out of his daze. He growled in frustration. "See. I told you that you needed rest." He carefully aided the dragoness in puting on the rest of the shirt, before forcing her to lie down.

"Rest." Laxus commanded. "I'll be back later. I've got some business to talk to with Gramps."

Leora wanted to protest, but after seeing the hardened look on the dragon slayer's face, she sighed. "Fine." She let him pull the covers back over her body before she watched him leave the suite. Moments later, her eyes closed and she fell back into a deep slumber.

* * *

The next time she awoke, it was to the sound of the door creaking slowly open, followed by some hushed, but obviously excited whispers. By the lack of light, she assumed that night had already fallen by this time.

She caught their whisperings as they approached. "Is she awake?"

"I'm not sure? Maybe we shouldn't wake her. Laxus is going to kill us when he finds out!" A second voice whispered in a more panicked manner.

"Nonsense. Even dragons need to have some fun!" The first voice insisted. "Besides, Wendy informed us that she was physically in shape."

Her eyes flickered open and immediately she was bombarded by the faces of Lucy and Erza, staring at her with looks of excitement.

"Ah! You're awake!" Lucy exclaimed, though her voice still held slight hints of worry.

"Good," Erza said. "Now let's go find you some clothes."

"Where are we going?" Leora asked. She knew she had promised the dragon slayer that she'd stay and rest, but those couple of hours she had spent sleeping had increased her physical health. She felt physically back to normal by now. She wasn't a dragon for nothing after all.

Lucy and Erza looked to each with suspicious yet excited smiles on their faces.

"Hey…Have you ever been to a pool?"

* * *

Leora's eyes widened completely as soon as they walked into the amusement park. She had never seen something like this before. Various sized pools littered the enormous, domed building. Large versions of slides were scattered throughout and filled with humans zooming down them and into the pools below. This Ryuuzetsu land was quite-

"Amazing right?" Levy looked up towards the dragoness who was still standing there, frozen. The only thing missing was her jaw dropping.

"Aren't you supposed to be resting? What's Laxus going to say?" Gajeel asked as he stood next to Levy.

"He doesn't need to know," Leora said with a smile. She lifted her wrist to show the iron dragon slayer the bracelet that hid her scent and presence.

"It was left on the ground at our competitor's area," Lucy added. "It must have dropped when she uh teleported."

"Gihi," Gajeel grinned. "Guess that's one way to do things. Come on Shrimp! Pantherlily and the other nekos wanted to check something out."

"O-okay!" Levy said with a blush. She turned to wave goodbye to the other girls, but Leora suddenly pulled her into her arms. She froze when the taller blonde nuzzled her neck, before turning her back around and pushing her in the direction that Gajeel went.

Leora held a knowing smile as she watched Levy's slightly dazed walk towards the iron dragon slayer. Gajeel took one sniff and gave her a snarl, before grabbing Levy's wrist and pulling her away. Leora could practically see the steam coming out of Levy's ears.

"What was that for?" Lucy asked. She had been just as confused as Levy was at the dragoness' actions.

Leora smirked. "Dragon's don't like it when their intended mates are covered in another dragon's scent." She turned towards the girls. "Apparently, it's the same for dragon slayers as well. And often, they'll try to cover it up, by replacing the foreign scent with their own."

It took only a couple of moments for Lucy and Erza to understand, and when they did, they shared the same evil smile that Mira sometimes had when she was in her matchmaking mode.

"Does Gajeel even know what he's doing?" Erza asked, curious.

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling he's starting to understand," Leora said with a sneaky smile.

"Ah...I see."

Lucy suddenly turned towards the opposite direction. "Anyways! I think its our turn to relax and have some fun." She grabbed Leora's wrist, pulling her off in one direction.

"There's some lounge chairs over there!" Lucy looked back with a smile. "Let's go. Erza come on!"

"Alright," Leora replied with a smile. Erza nodded and followed.

"By the way," Lucy said as they walked. "You were so awesome today!"

Erza nodded in affirmation. "It was unlike anything I've seen before."

Leora, not used to praise, was at a loss for words. "It wasn't much."

"It wasn't much?!' Lucy exclaimed. If that display of power wasn't much, then she felt pretty bad for anyone who happened to get on her bad side.

The trio had reached the lounge chairs soon after, but their relaxation was quite short lived…

"By the way Lucy…" Erza started.

"Ya, Erza?" Lucy asked.

"They're getting annoying." Erza replied with a flat voice. 'They' just happened to be the Trimens of Blue Pegasus and their leader.

"No No! I'll just use another beautiful perfume!" Ichiya cried, hoping to get Erza's attention.

Hibiki happened to be leaning over Erza's chair. "You're looking even prettier today, Erza."

Lucy sighed, "It's not like I can do much…"

Meanwhile Eve was standing next to Lucy. "If you'd like, I'll become your pet."

To Lucy and Erza's surprise, Ren just so happened to have appeared around Leora's chair. "How is it possible that you can be so terrifyingly beautiful?"

Leora raised her brow, but before she could respond, Erza did it for her.

The first victim of Erza's rage happened to be Hibiki. "What was your score on the MPF again?! Not enough spirit!"

Next she turned towards Eve. "Don't come out with such injuries!"

Even Ren was scolded. "You have Sherry, don't you?!"

The Trimen's were left speechless, completely unable to respond. Erza lastly turned towards Ichiya, who was looking at her with what he thought to be a charming smile.

Erza turned away with a disappointed frown. "Let's go Lucy, Leora." The two gave disappointed looks in the direction of the men before getting up themselves.

Ichiya was devastated. "Please yell at me tooooo!" He watched, crushed, as the girls left. But he did notice something odd. "The dragoness…she has no perfume."

Leora was following the two Fairy Tail mages when she suddenly caught a familiar scent. She immediately paused. Why was he here? Wasn't he supposed to be talking to the Master? Panicking she quickly bid the other two girls goodbye for the time being and ran off to the other side of the amusement park.

She'd never hear the end of it if the dragon slayer knew she was here…

However, leaning over the railing above all the attractions, Freed and Bickslow caught sight of the fleeing dragoness, her blonde hair flowing behind her as she ran.

"Isn't she supposed to be resting?" Freed asked, slightly concerned. "Should we inform Laxus that she's here?"

Bickslow laughed and shook his head as he watched the dragoness settle down into another lounge chair on the complete opposite end of the park from his leader. "Nah, Laxus has been hovering all over her today already. Let the girl have some air." He suddenly noticed someone else approaching. "Besides…I think things are about to get interesting."

Freed's attention perked up as well as soon as he spotted who Bickslow was referring too. "Mmm…I agree."

* * *

Leora was surprisingly relaxed as she lay there on the lounge chair, eyes closed. Throughout this week, she had been slowly accustoming herself to the noises and scents of so many humans in one place, and by now she had grown used to it all. Enough so that the noises seemed far away now that she was lying there, enjoying herself.

Though, her relaxation time seemed to have been cut short by a sudden shadow blocking the light from overhead.

"You know. A Great Dragon like you should be with someone like me instead of that Fairy trash." A voice suddenly cut in. The light smell of the woods drifted into her senses.

Leora's eyes slowly opened to the sight of a blonde man with dark blue eyes hovering directly over her, clad only in a pair of navy blue swim trunks. She noticed a thin diagonal scar over his right eye and a crystalline earring hanging from his left ear. He had one hand on her chair right next to her head while the other rested on his hips.

When Sting had first laid eyes on the dragoness, it had been this afternoon, in her native form. To say he was stunned was an understatement. He was even more impressed by her than was from the other other, darker dragon. Her scent and her presence had felt so familiar, and yet they had never met before that. It had reminded him so much of the dragon that used to be his foster father. The one he killed fourteen years ago. The light from her lightning was similar to Weisslogia's light. The moment the fight had ended, he had wanted to jump down just so he could see her up close, but he held himself back. He knew by the mark on her chest, that matched the one on Fairy Tail's lightning dragon slayer, that she already belonged to someone else.

Well that could be fixed.

So ever since this afternoon, Sting had been on a mission. A mission to find this dragoness that had captivated him so. He had gone looking for her once the sun had set. He visited the Bar Sun, where he heard Fairy Tail liked to frequent, but she wasn't there. Instead, some of the patrons had told him they had left for Ryuusetsu land. He figured it was a stretch. Why would the dragoness be at an amusement park?!

He was slightly dejected when he couldn't locate her scent within the park, but then his eye happened to catch a touch of blonde over by one corner. Slightly curious, he couldn't help but feel elated when he actually found her casually lying on a lounge chair. For a moment he couldn't help but act like a giddy little fan boy as he stood there gaping like a fish, but then he gathered up his courage to approach the dragon, hoping he would be able to captivate her just like she had done with him.

As Leora studied the man above him, her memory of this man was jogged. She immediately caught the air of arrogance from the smirk he held on his face. Men like this one were always fun to play with.

"Sabertooth's dragon slayer, was it?" Leora asked, her voice low and sultry. She moved her upper body ever so slightly so that he had the perfect view of her breasts. And considering that she was only wearing her black bikini top with the gold ring in the middle and matching bottoms, it was quite a view indeed.

"A-Ah." Sting immediately backed up, his face holding a slight blush. Women never responded to him quite like that when he tried to seduce them. They usually just blushed and turned away. His eyes subconsciously drifted downwards towards her chest, catching the black lightning shaped mark that was uncovered on her left breast.

She smirked, amused at the boy's reaction. This boy was young to play with the likes of her. She continued to move forward, sitting up in her chair. She lifted her hand and caught the dragon slayer's chin with her index finger, tilting it slightly so he was staring straight into her eyes.

Her wolfish grin showed off her sharp fangs. "You're two hundred years too early to play this game with me."

That had made him blush many shades brighter than Sting had wanted. He backed up a couple more steps, flushing in frustration when he caught her smirk. Gathering his thoughts and regaining his confidence, he continued. "I stand by what I said, dragon. You'd be much better off with me than with that imitation dragon slayer."

Leora couldn't help the spark of annoyance that shot through her when she caught the word 'imitation'. Now, what was she going to do about this? "Well, if you want me so badly, dragon slayer, then you'll have to prove it."

Sting stared at the beautiful dragon in shock as she stood up from her lawn chair. For some reason he had been expecting a direct refusal, not whatever this was. "H-How?"

She smirked. "Fight me. If you win, I'll become yours."

That easy? Sting immediately replied. "Alrigh-"

She cut him off with a sly grin. "But if you lose…you'll have to call me Master for the rest of night and heed to my every word."

That had Sting pausing for a moment. But, he realized that he had a lot more to win than he had to lose from this. Besides, the dragon should still be exhausted from her fight from this afternoon… "Alright."

Somehow, Sting felt like he had sealed his fate when he saw her grin grow. "Let's do this tomor-"

"Now," Leora commanded. She took a step forward, which only caused the dragon slayer to take one back.

"Right. Now."

"N-Now?!" Sting exclaimed. He had no time to mentally prepare! He continued to back up until his back hit a wall. "Wait! I'm not-"

Leora growled, but her grin remained on her face. "You should know that in real life, your enemies never wait for you to be ready." Even without her lightning, she knew this would be easy.

Sting's eyes widened in shock as the dragoness advanced. "W-Wait!"

One swift knock to the head later and Sting was seeing stars from the floor of the amusement park. He looked up to see the dragoness crouched in front of him. In any other circumstance, he would have commented on the view, but given the dark chuckle she was giving him, it only made him grow pale.

"T-That wasn't fair." Sting murmured into the floor.

"Did you want to go again?" Leora asked, her voice sounding innocent. Ah. The element of surprise. Never seemed to fail her.

Sting's eyes went wider. "N-No…" Stars were still dancing around in his vision.

"No…what?"

Sting looked away in shame. "No…M-Master…"

He felt her hand as she went to pat him on the head.

"Good…" Leora said with a dark smile. "Now…" She turned to regain her spot on the lawn chair, stretching her limbs out.

Sting could only describe the next hour as pure torture.

"I want a chocolate milkshake!"

"H-Hai M-Master!"

"I want a bowl of fresh fruit!"

"Hai Master!"

"What are you sitting there staring at me for? Feed me!"

"Haaa?!"

"You heard me!"

"Hai!"

"Hai what?"

"Hai Master!"

Sting could swear his face would remain stained permanently pink with the amount he was blushing.

Back on the second floor of the amusement park, Bickslow and Freed were doubled over in painful laughter, having been unable to stop since the beginning when they watched the dragoness effortlessly deal with the arrogant Saber.

"I'm so glad we didn't go down there to stop her," Bickslow wheezed. Both arms were still wrapped around his stomach trying to calm himself down.

"Agreed," Freed added. He had been moments away from stomping down there and removing the Saber from Leora's presence. He couldn't help it, but after this afternoon and watching what she had done for Laxus, for Fairy Tail, he had begun thinking of the dragoness in a similar way as his leader.

But watching her order around the Sabertooth mage like that was great entertainment indeed.

* * *

"Alright!" Leora exclaimed as she sat up. As she scanned the amusement park she swear she could hear some uncharacteristically loud laughter from somewhere, but she didn't pay it much attention. She turned to look up at the light dragon slayer, who was still obediently standing next to her.

She had to admit, the kid had honour. She had expected him to leave by now. She decided she quite liked this human. Maybe she was starting to get a soft spot for dragon slayers.

"What's your name?" Leora asked.

Sting's eyes widened in shock, a slight flush tinting his cheeks as he immediately stared towards the ground. "Sting." What is it with this woman that had him like this?! He's never been this shy around anyone before.

"Sting," Leora repeated. What an interesting name.

Sting wished he could get rid of the constant blush on his face. But his name…sounded so nice coming from her.

Leora found this human's reactions to be quite adorable. But she wasn't quite done with her mischief yet. "Well, Sting." She watched as his eyes shot back up to meet with hers. "I think I'm ready for some fun."

Sting watched with grave anticipation as she sat there with a thoughtful expression on her face. She was staring quite intently at the numerous slides and water rides for some reason…

No…

She couldn't be…

His heart dropped when she pointed towards the water rides.

"Let's go!"

"Hai…Master…" Sting turned to start walking slowly towards the water rides, his feet dragging along the ground. He felt like he was walking towards his grave.

Her voice made him pause.

"You didn't think I was going to walk there on my own do you?"

* * *

Laxus had been sitting by the children's pool with his Gramps, utterly bored, watching the First Master splashing around in the pool when a flash of blonde went by his peripherals. No, she wouldn't be here. She should be resting in the inn…

He immediately sat up and stared in that direction, but all he saw was the back of woman sitting on the shoulders of another man, pointing in the direction of the water rides. The man seemed quite unhappy, given the dark cloud of misery hanging around his head.

Wouldn't want to be that guy…

* * *

Sting was literally crawling as they returned to the lounge chairs in the corner of the amusement park. He took it all back. This dragon was evil…

Five rides. They went on five water rides. All of them transportation nightmares. The entire time, his stomach threatened to release the contents of his dinner all over.

And the entire time, the dragoness was smiling as if she were having a blast.

Sting had an awful feeling that she was trying to get back at him for something…

Leora had just returned to lay down on her lounge chair when suddenly she heard shouting.

"Sting-kun!"

"Sting!"

A flash of red zoomed past her and stopped right next to the still nauseous dragon slayer on the floor.

"L-Lector…" Sting breathed out, still trying to hold back another wave of nausea. He looked up to see Rouge and Frosch running towards him. "R-Rouge…"

"S-Save me…" Sting's arm was held out in front of him, reaching towards his partner. His stomach lurched again and his cheeks puffed.

"Sting-kun!" Lector cried as he sat next to his friend. "We thought you had run off to have fun without us, so we came to look for you! What happened!"

Rouge growled at the dragoness. "What did you do to Sting?"

Leora laughed at their antics. "So dramatic. All I did was have a little fun with the dragon slayer."

"Let him go." Rogue snarled. Like Sting, he had watched in amazement as she battled the dark dragon, and after the whole incident he had wanted to meet the dragoness in person as well. But this was not how he had imagined their first encounter to be.

"Alright," Leora said with a sly grin, as she slowly arose from her chair. "On one condition. Fight me. You win, you get your precious Sting-kun back-"

"Fine," Rouge answered immediately. On the floor, Sting's head was shaking rapidly as if he was trying to tell him not to do it.

Leora continued as if the dragon slayer hadn't cut her off. "But if I win-" Sting's arms were now waving furiously in front of him, before making a sharp X-shaped cross in front of his face. "-you'll join us."

"I think I've already agreed," Rogue said confidently. Sting's head immediately dropped to the floor in despair. He didn't want to watch this.

This time it was Rogue who made the first move, but his eyes widened as the dragoness completely disappeared from his vision. Such speed! Moments later, somehow, all he could see was the pool deck and swirling images of Frosch in front of him. He felt a slight pain from the top of his head.

"Rogue!" Frosch cried as he ran to Rogue's side.

The dragoness knelt next to the shadow dragon slayer with another smirk on her face. "Now…care to join us?"

Rogue glared at the dragoness before catching Sting's eye.

Sting sighed. "Just do it Rogue. We Sabers keep our word."

Rogue growled, but Sting was right. They operated with honour. A loss was a loss. "Fine."

"Ah…its 'Fine, Master."

"M-Master?!" Rogue exclaimed, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"Good…" Leora smiled as she looked down at the miserable shadow dragon slayer. "Now. I'm a little thirsty after all this physical exertion. Rogue was it?" The shadow dragon slayer immediately looked up, a little shocked that she had said his name. "I want a…what was it called again?...ah! Lemonade! Hurry now!"

"H-Hai…M-Master…"

Leora quickly returned to her chair, but not before snatching up the two exceeds from the ground, hugging them to her chest as she lay down. They struggled at first, complaining about the treatment of their dragon slayers, but they quickly calmed down. Her chest was quite comfy after all.

Sting watched with a tiny pout on his face as Rogue left towards the concession stands. Leora seemed to notice this as well.

"What's wrong?" Leora asked.

"How come you used his name so much sooner than mine." Sting grumbled, as his face turned to the side. It had taken him five bowls of fruit and three milkshakes before she asked him for his name…

The bright sound of her laughter had Sting turning back to face the dragoness. She was looking straight at him with her golden cat-like eyes. Evidence of her dragon heritage.

"Kawaii," Leora simply stated as she lifted a hand to ruffle his hair. Sting didn't know he was capable of blushing so much in one day.

Another two lemonades and three bowls of fruit later and it was time for another round of the water rides. Even the exceeds decided to join in on the fun after the dragoness had ordered them two bowls of biscuits and a milkshake each. They decided they could get used to this…

Bickslow and Freed couldn't believe what was happening. They continued to debate over whether to let Laxus know that the dragoness was present, or whether to continue to watch the show…

* * *

Laxus thought that he must be hallucinating since he caught another flash of blonde pass by him. He turned to look again, but it was only the same woman, her back facing him as she was carried towards the water rides by…two men this time?

And were those cats?!

* * *

The two Sabertooth dragon slayers collapsed next to the lounge chair when they finally returned. Sting's stomach felt like it'd never settle again. Rogue felt like he wanted to melt into the ground, his nausea still causing his vision to swirl. Their two exceeds sat next to their respective dragon slayers, fanning their faces, but they couldn't complain. Riding down the water slides in the dragoness' arms was actually quite fun.

Suddenly, two voices had them looking back up.

"Well, well…what do we have here?"

"I told you I wasn't lying! The two Sabers really were here!"

"Natsu-san…" Sting's eyes widened.

"Gajeel…" Rogue whispered.

It seemed she was always being interrupted as soon as she lay back down. Leora sighed, sitting back up and staring at the two Fairy Tail dragon slayers.

"Leora…what are you doing with these two," Gajeel asked, his voice wary. If Laxus found out she was here with the two Saber dragon slayers, he was going to freak.

"Oh…they simply lost a fight against me…so they're mine for the rest of the evening," Leora simply stated.

Sting and Rogue flinched, prepared for the sneers and taunts they were about to receive. They would have done the same thing in their shoes. But, they weren't prepared for what happened next.

"Whaaat?!"

"That's not fair!"

"We want to fight too!"

Sting and Rogue were completely surprised. Here was the perfect opportunity for Fairy Tail to take advantage of their weakened state, and yet, they were more interested in fighting the dragoness than they were in making fun of them. What's wrong with Fairy Tail…

Leora's grin wouldn't grow any bigger. She slowly stood up from her lounge chair once more. "Alright. Same terms as these two then?"

The two dragon slayers agreed even before hearing said terms.

Sting and Rogue watched intently, but as expected, moments later the two were on the ground, two lumps protruding from their heads. Even two on one they were no match for the dragoness. They watched in awe as she towered over their bodies like a golden goddess…

She was anything but.

"Now then…what do call me?" Leora smirked as she looked down at the two new dragon slayers.

Gajeel growled, looking up from the ground. "You're kidding me?! I ain't calling you that!"

A dark aura suddenly emanated from the dragoness, enough so that even Sting and Rogue flinched back in fear.

"The two Sabertooth mages have kept their word, iron dragon slayer. Are you intending to disgrace Fairy Tail by not honouring our deal?!"

Sting and Rogue grinned, happy that the dragoness had complimented them on their honour.

Gajeel paled, while Natsu shrunk in fear. The dragoness looked just like Erza did whenever he and Gray fought.

"Tch, Fine." Gajeel looked away, unwilling to admit his fear of the dragoness. Though, after this afternoon's display, he couldn't deny the sheer power that she was capable of.

"Fine…what?"

"M-Master…" The two Fairy Tail mages responded.

"Good…" Leora smiled. "Now…I think it's time to reflect on your past performance these past couple of days…"

The dragoness was once again looking towards the water rides.

Sting and Rogue wanted to faint. Again?! So soon?!

Bickslow and Freed couldn't hold their laughter in anymore. This was getting better and better as the night when on. They couldn't remember another time when they had been more entertained. Seeing all this, they were also quite glad that they had somehow remained on the dragoness' good side…

* * *

Alright. Now _this_ was getting ridiculous. Laxus sat there eyes completely wide after he turned around due to yet another flash of blonde. All he saw was the back of a lounge chair as it slowly headed towards the water slides. A lounge chair that was being carried like a litter on the shoulders of four men…

Was that Natsu?! And Gajeel?!

Just who the hell _was_ that woman?!

He was tempted to get up and follow them, but his Gramps scolded him, reminding him that he had a duty to stay with the First Master.

* * *

Another round of the slides later, they had finally returned to their original spot in the corner of the amusement park. By some miracle, Gajeel and Natsu had been dismissed by the dragoness and they had quickly run off before she changed her mind. But the dragoness wasn't quite done with the Sabers just yet.

Which was how Sting found himself currently sitting behind the dragoness.

Giving her a massage.

The dragoness was sitting up on her lounge chair, legs crossed as Rogue sat in front, feeding her another bowl of fruit.

How did they end up like this?!

Leora had been thoroughly enjoying her massage, eyes closed, when she suddenly decided to speak. "Who were your dragons?"

Sting and Rogue stiffened slightly, but decided to respond.

"Weisslogia" "Skiadrum"

Leora breathed out. "They were Great Dragons…" The Great White Dragon and the Great Shadow Dragon. She had heard about them, but they had been presumed dead by the time she was born. How was it that these two humans came upon those two dragons? This situation…was just like the situation with Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy. An odd mystery indeed.

"Ya…" Sting whispered, memories flooding back.

"Tell me about them?" Leora asked gently. The dragons always seemed like a touchy subject to the dragon slayers.

Sting paused for a moment, his hands pausing as well, before he continued. He didn't know why, but something about this woman, this dragon, made him want to share his memories with her. And so, they soon lost track of time as they talked. Sting told the dragoness all about his times with Weisslogia. He had even been surprised when Rogue opened up about Skiadrum as well. Rogue had never opened that fast to anyone. Not even him.

They had just finished telling the dragoness their stories, when Sting, still sitting behind the dragoness, asked something odd.

"Hey…why is it that we can't smell you?" It was a weird question indeed. Any other person would have been slightly disturbed, but Leora simply showed the two her bracelet.

"It hides my scent and my presence," she answered.

Sting wasn't sure what prompted him to ask his next question. "Could you possibly take it off?" He really didn't know why he asked that, but when he felt her presence in the middle of the stadium that afternoon, it brought back so many memories.

It had made him feel safe.

He just, wanted to feel that again.

Leora paused for a moment. The lightning dragon slayer was still here. If she took it off, he'd definitely find out. But...these young slayers seemed to crave the presence of a dragon. Their dragons must have been left them from a very young age. She took a deep breath, making up her mind.

She really was getting soft.

Slowly, she slid off the bracelet.

Both their breaths caught as Sting and Rogue were immediately surrounded by her scent and presence. She smelled like wild lightning, but underneath it all she had the signature scent of a dragon. Sitting so close to her, they instantly felt like they were back in the company of their own dragons…

They hadn't felt this comforted since their dragons had left them fourteen years ago.

Sting's head fell forward and rested on the dragoness' bare shoulder, her long blonde hair having been previously swept to the other side.

Dragon slayers had the same instincts as dragons, who, tended to crave the company of their own kin. Which is why Leora did nothing to push the young dragon slayer away, simply allowing him to remain by her.

Sting smiled against the crook of the dragoness' neck, voicing his immediate thoughts.

"I like you."

Rogue looked up at his friend in shock, but somehow inside his head, he felt the same way as well. It was obvious that it wasn't a romantic sort of 'like'. He just genuinely liked the dragoness. She felt like…family.

Like a big sister of sort.

Leora smiled. "That's a big confession to make for someone you had met just hours ago."

"Come with us to Sabertooth?" Sting asked, completely serious. "We'll treat you much better than anyone at Fairy Tail would."

"You still have yet to defeat me," Leora replied, brow raised.

"Then on the day that we do, you'll come with us?"

"Hai. On the day that you defeat me, I'll become yours," Leora answered, with no hesitation.

The way she worded that sentence had both Sting and Rogue blushing. It sounded much more intimate than they had expected…

Sting was starting to get slightly frustrated at how easy it was for the dragoness to rile him up like this. As he sat there, head still resting against her shoulder, all he could think of was-

Two can play at that game…

Sting leaned back and placed his hands back on the dragoness' shoulders, kneading her stiff muscles. He waited until she had relaxed, before he went for it.

"You know…I'd like to massage your neck, but you should probably remove these ties first," Sting said into the dragoness' ear, fueling as much seduction as he could into his voice. The ties he was referring to, were the ones that held up her black bikini top. Sting waited, expecting the dragoness to flush pink and gently slap his leg while calling his name, similar to what normal women would do in this situation.

But of course, Leora wasn't exactly a normal woman.

She didn't stiffen, didn't flush and definitely didn't gently slap his leg while calling out 'Sting-kun! You devil!'.

Instead she calmly answered. "Alright."

"W-Wait!" Sting stuttered, as her hands reached behind her neck and quickly pulled apart the knot. He was joking…didn't this dragon have any common modesty?!

The next few moments seemed to pass by in slow motion.

The two thick black ties slowly fell forward. Sting, knowing what was about to happen, immediately reached his hands, which had been on her shoulders, forward, attempting to grab hold of the ties. But in his panic, he overshot and instead, seemingly grabbed hold of something else.

Rogue, who had been sitting in front of the dragoness, also realized what was to happen. And being the inner gentleman that he was, also reached his hands forward without thinking, in an attempt to protect the woman's modesty. Of course, things didn't exactly go according to his plan either.

The result?

Each of the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth had one hand resting perfectly on top of one of the dragoness' breasts, with their other hand on top of their partners on the opposite breast.

It made for quite the scene.

Well at least it kept the bikini top up.

Leora glanced down at the situation on her chest, before slowly looking back up at the two. She could practically see the steam coming out of their ears as their faces turned a bright tomato red. Who knew these young ones would be so…forward?

Sting and Rogue didn't know what to do, their brains having been fried by the heat around their faces. If they let go, then the rest of the top would fall…and despite the fact that they had a pretty good spot to view the outcome, it just wouldn't be proper. But if they didn't let go then…but they were so firm…

Their brains stopped functioning by that point.

"W-We can explain!" The two stuttered, slightly afraid of what the dragoness would do to them after they had assaulted her body.

Leora was about to laugh at their innocence when a deep voice suddenly cut in.

"What the hell was this?!"

Ah. Guess play time is over.

Sting and Rogue slowly turned their heads to face the dark menace that was Fairy Tail's lightning mage. A raging swirl of sparks had already surrounded his body as he stared at them with an expression even darker than the one he had given the raven dragon from this afternoon.

To say he was furious was an understatement. Laxus had given her strict instructions to stay within the inn. And here she was, fraternizing with the enemy?! And with Saber's dragon slayers of all people! Laxus had been about to fall asleep watching Mavis play around in the pool when he had suddenly caught Leora's scent. Thinking he was hallucinating once again, as he was throughout the entire time he had been here, this time he went to check it out.

Seeing _his_ dragon being touched by two dragon slayers was NOT what he had been expecting…

Seeing the angry dragon slayer, Sting and Rogue did the first thing their brains could think of.

And that was to let go.

And as expected, the rest of the top fell forward, the only thing preventing it from falling off completely was the tie around her back. But of course, she was now flashing every single male in the vicinity.

The park janitors had a lot of blood to clean up that night.

Faster than even she could detect, Leora was immediately pulled from the chair and pressed into Laxus' chest, his body now shielding hers from the perverted gazes of all the other males in the park. She looked up, slightly dazed, only to see the dragon slayer snarling towards the other two mages.

"Leave. Before I do something I regret," Laxus growled.

Sting and Rogue immediately scrambled to their feet and grabbed their exceeds. But a couple steps into their retreat, Sting couldn't help but shout towards the dragoness.

"Ah! You'll be watching tomorrow right?" Sting asked.

Leora could only turn her head as her body was being held firm by the lightning dragon slayer's arm.

"Of course-," Leora started. Sting's face lit up, but he quickly shrank back as her face darkened slightly.

"-But this Great Dragon will be cheering for the _'Fairy trash'_." Leora finished, her voice having lowered an octave. With hardened eyes, she had returned Sting's very first words back to him. A slight turn of her torso revealed her black and gold shimmered Fairy Tail mark to the light dragon slayer. Her comment didn't give off a malicious vibe, but it was just reminder of her allegiance to her guild.

Sting stared at the pair, slightly afraid, before he turned around and left with Rogue.

"Scary…" He whispered. But then again, he certainly liked a challenge. He turned towards Rogue with a smile after they had left the park. "Hey Rogue. Let's show her what we've got tomorrow."

Rogue nodded. "Ah."

Laxus had been so angry that he didn't even register the fact that Leora's bare chest was against his own. By the time he did, she had already stepped back and fixed her top.

The next couple of minutes were spent scolding the dragoness, who surprisingly, shrank away from his shouting. He was about to throw her over his shoulder and cart her back towards the inn, when suddenly an explosion rang out through the park.

Somehow, in the time that had past, Gray just so happened to have iced over the largest water slide in the amusement park. And somehow, Natsu just so happened to have made everything explode when he tried to 'fix it'.

Let's just say Bickslow and Freed's jaws remained dropped for a long time.

That was not how they had expected this night to go.

* * *

Leora stretched her arms over her head as she walked along the dark streets of Crocus. She had quickly changed and snuck out of the now destroyed amusement park, not wanting to stay behind to continue to be scolded by the dragon slayer.

Besides…she had something else to take care of tonight.

Right on time with her thoughts, her nose caught the scent of the one she was looking for. Jumping up onto the rooftops, Leora continued to following the scent.

* * *

Somewhere else along the rooftops, a hooded figure watched as the blonde dragon leapt right pass them, their right hand moving towards their left to gently touched the well-worn bracelet over their left wrist.

* * *

Landing in front her target, Leora's eyes remained emotionless as she studied the startled man.

His short moment of shock was replaced by a distrustful glare. "Who are you?"

Leora regarded his voice to be quite…slimy. She had forgotten that this man was dragged out of the stadium before everything began. What a shame. She wouldn't have stopped Rhaegal from eating this one. "You are Ivan Dreyar?"

"Like I just asked. Who are you?" Ivan repeated.

"Who I am is not important," Leora answered.

"Then I have no business with you. You are wasting my time." Ivan turned to leave, but her next question had him pause slightly.

"Your son's lacrima," Leora started. "Where did you get it from?" To be honest, she didn't know why she was taking her time to begin with. Perhaps it was because he was still the dragon slayer's father. If he wasn't, he would have been dead minutes ago.

Ivan stiffened up. Who was this woman? Was she from the Magic Council? He had obtained the dragon lacrima more than fifteen years ago in some black market in Bosco. He hadn't been caught for so long. Why would someone be asking about it now?

All those thoughts flew through Ivan's head, and in his panic he did the first thing his mind could think of.

Attack.

Leora scoffed at weak pieces of paper than flew towards as soon as the man turned around. If this was what Laxus was originally dealing with, then no wonder he defeated all five mages in seconds. The origami-like paper cut through her clothes and into her skin, as she was unable to conjure her armour. Her wounds started to bleed, but given her healing capabilities still being intact, they healed in moments.

"W-What are you?! Monster! Demon!" Ivan shouted in terror. No mage ever healed that fast. Healing magic was a lost art.

Leora sighed. "You really shouldn't have said that." In a split second, she had the man up against the wall of nearby building, her clawed hand lifting him by his throat. "I'm going to ask nicely again. Where did you get the dragon lacrima?"

"I-I don't know!"

Her grip tightened around his throat.

"L-Look. It's inside my son now. If you want it that badly, just take it from him!"

Leora didn't know whether to be angrier at the fact that this man was still avoiding her question, or the fact that he cared so little about his son that he practically suggested that she kill him for the lacrima.

Her voice lowered an octave. "I don't care for where it is now. I want to know where you got it from."

By now her claws had broken skin.

Ivan screeched. "I-I bought it from some black market in Bosco okay!"

"Liar!" Leora bellowed. "You stole it. You stole it from a cave!" A cave that belonged to her father. That belonged to her. Her den. Her home.

She would avenge the defiling of her father's last resting place.

"I'm not lying!" Ivan shouted through gritted teeth.

It seemed that physical force was not enough to pry the truth from this man. And given her current lack of power, it seemed she was left with one last thing…

Her magic.

Just enough to scare the man, she told herself. She had enough control over it to do that. She held out her free hand, already surrounded by black tendrils, and pointed it towards a potted plant just a few feet away. She watched as the man's eyes slowly followed in the same direction. With a quick flex of her fingers, the darkness burst forward and through the plant, turning its leaves pitch black. Within moments the plant had crumbled into nothing and drifted into the wind like black particles. Dead.

"That magic!" Ivan exclaimed in horror. There was no doubt about. That magic was as dark as it came. Almost dark enough to rival that of the Black Mage.

Death magic.

Leora continued to stare at the man as she brought her free hand back towards her. She pulled her claws back once again, darkness swirling. She watched as the man flinched back in fear, his eyes closing as her hand shot forward-

Only to be caught by another.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Leora whipped her head around, shocked to find the dragon slayer holding her wrist. In her shock, her other hand lost its grip around the man's throat, dropping him to floor. Until the very end, the man had still insisted that he found the lacrima at some black market. Did this mean someone else had raided her father's den?

Neither dragon nor slayer paid attention to Ivan Dreyar as he scrambled back onto his feet, running away into the night, cursing the dragoness the entire time.

"What is this?" Laxus asked calmly, though his thoughts were anything but. He had chased after the dragoness after dealing with the mess made by Gray and Natsu. When he sensed her injuries, even though they were minor, he felt himself speeding up, only to find her in this situation. His mind hadn't yet processed why the dragoness was with his father, let alone why she had apparently tried to kill him. Instead it was only focused on what was clearly magic that was currently emanating from her hand.

Magic that she had hidden from him ever since that night up on the Tenrou Tree months ago…

Leora's brain finally caught up to her as she realized how close the dragon slayer's hand was to her own, which was still surrounded by her magic…

She gasped and immediately tried to pull her hand away from him, but his grip remained strong.

"Let go!" Leora panicked.

"Not until you answer my question." Laxus said, remaining firm.

"I'm going to hurt you!" Leora cried. Her magic…it was going to kill him. But then as she continued to watch the darkness envelop the dragon slayer's hand…nothing happened.

"I remember you saying that you wouldn't be able to hurt me anymore," Laxus reminded her of what she had told him on Tenroujima. "I assume this applies to your magic as well."

Leora calmed down slightly, having seen that his words were true. It wasn't hurting him. Was it because of the Bond?

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Laxus' eyes glanced quickly down at Leora's hand before coming back up to meet her eyes. Eyes which still held slight panic within them. Was she worried…for him?

She willed her magic to recede, the black tendrils dissipating from her hand. "I didn't need you calling me a monster too."

"What made you think I'd do that?"

"My magic can kill on contact!" Leora shouted. "What else would you be calling me! If not that then-" Her legs suddenly collapsed on her. It seemed that her body finally caught up with all the events today. If the dragon slayer hadn't quickly caught her she would have fell to the floor.

Laxus growled in frustration. "This is why you should have stayed at the inn! If you didn't leave, none of this would've happened." He quickly hauled the dragoness over his shoulder and started walking. "Tch. You're covered in blood. We'll finish this conversation later."

Leora's breathing revealed her exhaustion. "I'm fine. Its healed...Where are you going? The inn is that way!"

Laxus sighed. "You'll heal faster after you've eaten."

* * *

After a couple of minutes, the pair had reached the outskirts of the city and started into the forest. They continued to walk until they were well into woods, before Laxus set Leora down, leaning her against the trunk of a large tree. The only light in the area came from the stars and moon above them.

"Stay here." Laxus commanded, before turning to walk further into forest.

"Where are you going?" Leora asked as she stared at his retreating back.

Laxus looked over his shoulder. "Getting you food."

"Y-You're hunting for me?..." Leora whispered, her eyes slightly widened. Did he even know what that means?...

Hunting…providing for her…

Laxus raised his brow. "Ya what of it?"

Of course. Of course he wouldn't know what it meant. Leora's cheeks suddenly felt a little hotter.

"N-Nothing."

Must have been due to exhaustion.

Laxus shrugged before he turned and walked into the woods.

As Laxus chased down the animals in the forest, a part of him started to understand why the dragoness enjoyed to hunt. Maybe it was the little bit of dragon within him, but the chase was oddly thrilling. The scent of their fear and the sounds of their panicked footsteps sent his adrenaline into overdrive. And oddly enough, not even the blood had bothered him.

A couple of small animals and a large deer later, Laxus returned to Leora, dumping his prey in front of her. The dragoness hesitated.

"Oi. What are you waiting for?" Laxus asked, slightly annoyed. He didn't do all that just for her to refuse it. It was the dragon within him that suggested he hunt for her, and right now it wasn't pleased.

Should she accept it? She took a quick glance up at the dragon slayer, catching the impatient look on his face. He probably wouldn't understand the meaning behind it even if she did.

An offering of captured prey was usually a sign of courtship amongst dragons…

A signal to the female that the male was capable of providing for her.

She mentally shook her head. Of course he wouldn't. He was human.

Satisfied after she had concluded that this meant absolutely nothing she reached forward. Though, it seemed that her instincts had long made that choice for her, since they were already pushing to come out.

He released the breath he didn't know he was holding when the dragoness finally lifted the first animal to her lips. A hare. But when her eyes looked up at him he could tell that it wasn't really her anymore. Her golden eyes had once again gone a shade darker and held the same feral glint he was now used to seeing whenever her instincts had taken over. Even her tail had emerged from behind her.

"So, is it always you whenever she feeds?" he asked, though he knew she wouldn't answer.

She stared at him for a moment longer before her eyes went back to her hare. The moment her teeth sunk in for the first time, he felt contentment from his inner dragon, though he had no idea why. He was weirdly surprised at his lack of disgust as he continued to watch her rip through the animal. Instead, it was mesmerizing.

Of all the times she had fed before, he had never seen the actual moment when she did so. He had always caught the aftermath, when she was covered in blood. But now he saw it. How the blood spattered all over her when she happened to bite into an artery, how she methodically ripped the flesh from each animal, until there was nothing left but bone.

By the time she was done, she was in state that he recognized. Covered head to toe in blood, staining her golden hair, a dark crimson. The only difference this time was the addition of her shredded clothes, which by now, had also been stained red.

"Well. Let's get you cleaned up. Can't parade you around the city looking like that, can I?" he commented as he held his hand up to her. Again she grabbed hold of his outstretched hand and allowed him to pull her towards a small river he had passed by while he was hunting.

Stripping himself into his boxers and pulling off the rest of her clothing, he guided her into the river, watching again as the waters were slowly stained pink. He didn't have anything to wash her with this time so he only instructed her to dunk into the water. He tried to avert his eyes as she resurfaced, but they were unwilling, instead they focused on the way the water droplets dripped down her creamy skin. Her skin was pale in the moonlight, which only served to contrast the two black marks on her body. The one that signaled she belonged to Fairy Tail, and the one that signaled she belonged to hi-

"Why do you always do this to me..." he whispered, feeling the tightening of his boxers. His mind flashed back to the last time they were like this and he had to hold back a groan.

As if sensing his turmoil, she stepped forward, bringing her entire body flush with his.

He couldn't hold back his next groan. He had felt her breasts against his bare chest earlier this evening, but he hadn't been paying attention then. Now though? He was definitely paying attention now.

"You're not helping," he said through gritted teeth. He pushed her back to arm's length with his hands on her shoulders, before letting go and exiting the river.

And similar to last time, she pounced.

However, this time, he was prepared.

She growled at him as he knocked her to the ground, her back against the grass. She attempted to struggle, but he trapped her underneath him, one hand holding her wrists above her head. Repeating what she had done to him last time, he returned her growl and nipped gently at her neck, warning her not to move.

"You're the one who started this," he growled.

She immediately stilled her struggles, but her chest continued to vibrate.

"I believe you said I owed you," he breathed against her neck, smirking when noticed a small shiver making its way down her spine. "I think it's time I returned the favour."

This time, it was _her_ turn to lose control.

Her eyes widened when his free hand went to cup her left breast. He smiled when her breath hitched after his thumb brushed over her nipple and then down the length of her mark.

"Surprised that a human can make you feel this way, Sunshine?"

She growled back at him, seemingly displeased with his words.

"Hmm…seems like you can understand at least."

He continued to grope and squeeze her breasts, occasionally giving her nipple a flick. Her growls continued to grow louder, but they halted as soon as his lips descended upon the neglected nipple on her other breast, enveloping it in one go. There was no way he would miss the sharp intake of her breath and the wave of arousal he immediately scented.

"You can deny it all you want, but your scent doesn't lie Sunshine."

He looked up from his place at her chest to see her snarling at him, but that was quickly cut off with a gentle nip, followed by a swirl of his tongue. After he decided he was done with her breasts, he continued downwards, nipping and exploring every inch of her torso with his tongue. God, even her skin tasted like lightning.

Her tail had stealthily reached up and traced along his skin, sending small sparks down his spine and towards his groin. But after a while, it began to still, as if she was unable to concentrate on moving it. When he couldn't go any lower without letting go of her wrists, he took a leap of faith.

"Keep them there," he commanded. She gave him another snarl, but to his pleasant surprise, her wrists did not move from its place on the grass.

Satisfied with her complacency, he continued down until he reached the source of her intoxicating scent of arousal. Her breath quickened in anticipation. He immediately paused after a long brush of his tongue against the length of her core.

A loud, feminine moan reached his ears.

Now that one he didn't expect.

His eyes immediately shot up, meeting her wide ones. Seemed like she was just as surprised as he was.

He experimented with another lick, but this time she stifled any sounds coming from her vocal cords.

"Now that wouldn't do," he breathed, his breath tickling her skin. "I want to hear you." Never in his life had he been this turned on as he continued to explore her, occasionally dipping his tongue into her core. Her stifled moans became louder and unhinged as soon as his lips attached onto the bundle of nerves above her dripping sex.

"That's it Sunshine."

She growled at him again, seemingly frustrated with the things he was doing with her body, but that was interrupted again by another long moan as he inserted a digit into her wet cavern. He himself groaned as he felt how tight she was around his finger, his brain immediately imagining what she would feel like around his-

He was _not_ going there. This was purely revenge for the last time, when she had made him lose control. Made him submit completely to her will.

He did not want to know what she felt like around his member, what his name would sound like as she cried his name out in ecstasy, what-

What the hell was he thinking? He willed his brain to immediately stop, his pants becoming painfully tight. Instead he began to pump his finger in and out of her core, appreciating the way she submitted to his touch, before adding one, two more fingers to the mix.

The heavy scent of her arousal completely surrounded him as her moans grew in volume. Suddenly he felt her fingers threading through his hair, urging him to continue.

Instead, he completely stilled.

Her growl was immediate.

"Hands," he reminded her abruptly as he locked eyes with her golden orbs. A flash of frustration traveled through them before she slowly removed her hands from his hair, moving them so they rested on the ground at her side. Her claws immediately dug into the dirt as if it was a struggle to keep them there.

He smirked, "Close enough."

He decided to reward her, by resuming with punishing speeds, eliciting moans from her that sent sparks down his spine.

She was close.

His eyes locked onto her own as he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of her core, noting how her feral gaze was glazed over with lust.

"Come for me Sunshine," he breathed before his mouth latched onto her bundle of nerves. At that same moment he thrusted his fingers in deep and quickly curled them upwards.

Her loud moan mixed in with a low growl was music to his ears. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her as she continued to ride her orgasm.

At that moment, as she stared at him, breathing heavily, with the light of the moon illuminating her soft pale skin and long golden hair, he thought she was beautiful.

He slowly pulled his fingers out of her, grinning when he caught her stiffen. He brought his fingers into mouth, once again tasting her essence on his tongue.

All he heard was another growl before he found himself on his back against the grass. She hovered over him like a cat, her tail flicking lazily in the air.

He let out a sly grin. "Satisfied?"

He caught her snarl, which oddly sent a shiver down his spine. He had been so caught up in her pleasure that his mind had forgotten about the state his own body was in. But now, he was very aware of how painfully erect he was.

She seemed to notice his problem, since her snarl quickly turned into a smirk. He gulped as her eyes trailed down his body before coming up to meet his.

He was slightly afraid of what she was going to do as he caught her toothy grin.

Well whatever he had expected, it certainly wasn't this...

Her grin suddenly turned into large yawn. She gently laid down on top of him, with her breasts resting against his chest and her head resting in the crook of his neck, and in moments…she was asleep.

"Are you serious?!" he shouted in frustration. Was this God punishing him for what he had done?

He groaned as he felt her soft breath brushing against his neck, reminding him of his painful erection. Growling and cursing, he rolled her off of him and proceeded to walk off into the trees to take care of himself. He tried not to replay what just happened within his mind, but it wasn't listening to him. In fact, it only seemed to add more damning scenes to the mix.

After he returned he stared at her sleeping, naked body before wondering-

How the hell was he going to get her across the city and back to the inn like this?!

* * *

 ** _A/N: Sorry for the delay! Had a midterm this week so I was a little busy. Anyways. I had a couple of requests for Sting and Rogue to meet her, so I finally wrote them in, since the two of them are so adorable. I knew I didn't want a negative confrontation between them, so this lighter more comedic scene is what I came up with. Ryuuzetsu Land was also one of my favourite OVAs so these two combined together made it quite fun to write. Once again thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows! It really encourages me to keep writing despite all the demands of school._**

 ** _Until next chapter!_**


	18. Arc II-18: What is he to you?

**Chapter 18**

The morning sun was bright as it streamed in through the window. Leora squeezed her eyes shut, in hopes of blocking the sun out.

"If you keep sleeping you'll miss today's events," the dragon slayer's voice cut through her consciousness.

Leora's eyes fluttered open and she noticed the dragon slayer at the foot of her bed. Wait, bed? The last thing she remembered was being in the woods on the edge of the city…

Did she somehow get back to the inn last night?

She slowly sat up, evaluating her current condition. She felt oddly relaxed and refreshed, despite still lacking the majority of her powers. Maybe feeding was a good idea after all.

Laxus watched carefully as Leora sat up. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, though I'm still missing most of my power," Leora answered. She took a quick look around the room, noticing the Raijinshuu missing. "Where are the others?"

She furrowed her brow in confusion when the dragon slayer suddenly looked away.

"They are probably at Domus Flau by now," Laxus mumbled.

Leora took another look around, suddenly realizing that this room didn't look like the one she shared with the Raijinshuu. This room was smaller and only had two small beds in it. One of which she was currently sitting on. "Where are we?"

"At another inn," Laxus answered, a slight flush to his face. "It was easier to stay the night here than it was to go all the way back to the inn from the woods." More like he didn't want to carry a naked dragoness back to the inn and face unwanted questions from his teammates and just about everyone else from Fairy Tail.

"Oh, did you bring me here too?"

"Who else would have?" Laxus grumbled, once again a little miffed that she had forgotten everything. He had given her a proper shower too once they checked in. Quite a feat given the fact that she remained fast asleep throughout the entire ordeal. "Hurry up. I need to get to the stadium."

The sheets fell from her body as moved to stand, revealing her naked body. Her hair fell over chest like soft silk. Laxus immediately turned around, lest his brain started reminding him of the things he did to that body last night. To his small dismay it seemed that her body had completely healed overnight, leaving no evidence of what he had done. It was as if it never happened at all.

He planned to wait until she was dressed, but he stiffened when he suddenly felt her clawed hands upon his shoulders. In a split second, those hands seemed to shrink and he felt something warm and smooth wrap around his neck. He tried to look down towards his neck and saw…

A small tail?

His eyes trailed up the scaled appendage only to see it connect with a tiny scaled body. Looking towards his other side he saw a miniature dragon's head resting comfortably against the crook of his neck.

"What the?!" Laxus exclaimed. It was a miniature version of the dragoness. The same dragon that towered almost the height of Domus Flau the day before was now wrapped casually around his neck. He could even feel her warmth through his skin as she rested around him.

"Our bond has strengthened further because of yesterday," Leora answered with a yawn. "It now allows me to maintain this form without energy exertion. Granted it's a less…threatening version of me, but at least now I don't have to walk to the stadium. You can carry me."

"Oi…I'm not a mule," Laxus grumbled.

"I'm injured remember?" Leora reminded him as she snuggled further into his neck.

"Hai hai…" Laxus rolled his eyes before throwing his overcoat over the both of them and heading for the door. "You sure pick convenient times to decide to be injured."

* * *

The fourth day of the Games was just about to start as Laxus and Leora entered the B Team's competitor stands. They were slightly surprised that the Games had continued, given the spectacle from the day before, but seeing as the crowd had no idea what had happened, it would arouse suspicion if they had cancelled the event.

The rest of B team stared at Laxus as he walked in, with sly grins on their faces.

"So. Where were you last night?" Cana asked, with a suggestive smile.

"Mmm. Laxus-sama didn't return to the inn," Juvia noted.

"And according to the Raijinshuu, neither did the dragon girl," Gajeel added.

"Oh…" Mira said with her signature innocent smile, but you knew underneath that the demon was scheming.

Laxus grunted. "That's none of your business."

Mira tilted her head when she noticed something shuffling underneath the collar of Laxus' coat. "What is that?" She moved closer and almost jumped back when a small dragon's head popped out of the collar. "Oh my!"

"Huh?!" Gajeel exclaimed gruffly. "Is that the dragon girl?!"

Mira squealed when Leora yawned revealing tiny, but sharp teeth. "Kawaii!" She tried moving even closer, bringing her head within inches of the dragoness, but Laxus immediately stepped back, slightly uncomfortable with Mira's closeness.

"That's enough."

"But I wanna hold her!" Mira cried. The dragoness was so cute in chibi form!

"She's not a pet," Laxus scolded. He felt Leora's huff against his neck. Seems like she agreed with him.

"They're about to start," Leora said, cutting them off. Her tail came around to his front and thumped against Laxus' chest. "Move closer, I want to watch."

Mira giggled as Laxus grumbled, but obeyed the dragoness and moved close to the edge. "When the hell did you get so bossy?"

The event for the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games was soon announced to be 'Naval Battle'. Juvia quickly volunteered for this role, which was unchallenged given the mage's affinity for water. A giant sphere of water soon appeared in the middle of the stadium. A stadium which housed two enormous dragons just the day before. The crowd was excited, but a couple of the mages remained wary, still thinking about the events that happened the day before.

The rules were simple: remain within the sphere of water. Those who leave or are pushed out lose. The last person remaining is the victor. However, when two remain a five-minute rule comes into effect. If one of the two exits the sphere within those five minutes they automatically become last place.

Each participating member entered the sphere. Amongst them were Juvia for Team B, Lucy for Team A and Minerva for Sabertooth.

The cheering grew louder as for Minerva as soon as she entered, highlighting her popularity as one of Sabertooth's top five mages.

As soon as the battle started, Lucy immediately summoned Aquarius, who was immediately countered by Juvia. Leora didn't quite know who to cheer for, given they were both a part of Fairy Tail. But within minutes, Aquarius seemed to leave…for a date.

"What's so special about this date thing that is important enough to leave a battle for?" Leora wondered out loud. Off to the side, Mira snickered and was about to answer Leora's question, but was immediately silenced by a glare from Laxus.

Laxus turned back to watch the match with a slight blush on his face. He didn't need the dragoness realizing that they had already _been_ on a date. Albeit an accidental one.

Juvia immediately took control of the stage once Aquarius had returned, taking out three of the competition using her Second Origin move:

"Wings of Love! Gray-sama! Love!"

Meanwhile all of Fairy Tail B simply stood there with blank looks on their faces.

"If you ever come up with an attack like that," Leora started, her voice emotionless. "I will break our Bond and leave."

"Ah," Laxus nodded slowly. He too was at a loss for words.

However, within moments, Juvia was somehow pushed out of the sphere, leaving only Lucy and Minerva inside the sphere.

"That idiot!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"She went out…" Cana said.

"Why?" Mira asked, eyes wide.

Laxus was speechless.

"It's spatial magic," Leora answered, her head lifting from its position on Laxus' shoulder. She's seen it before, but not for a long time. That Minerva, is strong.

The timer was set for five minutes, between Lucy and Minerva. But for Fairy Tail, it was the worst five minutes of the day.

Leora growled. That mage could have had Lucy out of the ring within moments, and yet she chose to play with her, causing unnecessary injury. Having stolen Lucy's keys, Minerva had Lucy by the ropes, blasting her with spatial magic all while Lucy remained defenseless. It was tough to watch, but Lucy eventually made it to five minutes, thus securing her spot in second place.

But it didn't end there. Minerva continued to be relentless, even going so far as to bring Lucy back into the sphere when she was almost out and seriously injuring her. The match was already decided and yet Minerva refused to relent.

Leora's growls continued to grow and sparks gathered around her body. It was all her powers could generate at the moment. She was watching something the old her would do. Play around with her prey until it couldn't even cry for death anymore. Was this what she looked like back then? Was she this ugly and cruel?

"She's torturing her…" Gajeel snarled.

Lucy's cries of pain continued to resound throughout the stadium, causing the hearts of Fairy Tail to clench.

"The match is already over…" Laxus said through gritted teeth. He could feel Leora's anger surround him, her sparks raging, but not growing any more than that. She must not have enough energy.

"STOP IT!" Natsu shouted.

Leora took one look over at Sabertooth and her eyes narrowed. They were laughing. All of them. She had misjudged those dragon slayers last night…

The referee had to force the match to stop as Lucy had stopped responding for a while. Medics were immediately called and ran towards the stadium. Minerva held Lucy out of the sphere by her neck, unconscious and covered in wounds. Leora's wings spread as soon as she saw Minerva let go of the mage, but Gray and Natsu had already caught the blonde. The sparks around Leora's body continued to rage as her anger started to spiral.

Laxus saw Leora attempt to fly into the stadium, but immediately caught her in his arms, pinning the small amber dragon to his chest.

"Let me go!" Leora shouted as she struggled to break free.

"Don't," Laxus said. "You'll only cause more commotion, going down like that." His Gramps had spent the majority of yesterday afternoon explaining to the Magic Council about Leora. They had only barely let Fairy Tail go without taking the dragoness in for questioning. To have her show up now would only cause more trouble.

"She's still in the water…" Leora started, her voice suddenly having gone calm and emotionless. "Water's a great conductor of electricity." Sparks continued to arc around her body. "Humans are fragile creatures…just one shock and her heart would stop…"

Laxus only gripped her harder, shocked that she would say those words. He winced when he felt her claws gripping into his arm, her tail wrapped tightly around his forearm. He started to absorb the dragoness' lightning into his own body just so she wouldn't use it against Minerva. "Do that and you would be no better than she is."

She didn't relax. Laxus shifted Leora so he was carrying her with one arm, while his free hand went to cover her eyes, hoping to divert her attention from the arena.

"Look," Laxus tried to reason with the dragoness. "Lucy seems to be fine. Wendy and Chelia have seen to her. Let's go to the infirmary to check on her."

Leora didn't have a choice but to comply as Laxus immediately turned around and left the stadium, carrying her with him, so that her focus was no longer on the Sabertooth woman. It seemed to have worked, since he felt her relax slightly within his arms, her claws leaving his skin. He was definitely bleeding, but only slightly. The rest of Fairy Tail B joined them as well, worried about their guildmate.

When they arrived at the infirmary, Lucy was already bandaged up. The atmosphere inside the infirmary was quiet and tense.

"Is Lucy alright?!" Juvia exclaimed.

"You guys…" Gray started.

Cana interjected. "Even if we're on different teams, we're in the same guild, right?"

"Thanks to Wendy and Chelia, her life is not in danger," Porlyusica said.

Leora relaxed a tad bit more, but inside she was still raging. She stiffened slightly when she felt Laxus' hand on her head, petting her softly. They remained in the back of the crowd, so no one saw what he was doing. She tried not to fall to his ministrations nor his calming scent, but soon she found her muscles relaxing, her tail even unwinding itself from the death grip it had around his arm. Her breathing returned to normal soon after, and she may or may not have started purring.

Despite the poor atmosphere, she felt his light chuckle rumbling from his chest.

 _Seems I found a new weakness of yours, Sunshine._

She puffed.

 _I don't know what you're talking about._

She was glad that Lucy was fine, and even though she was still angry about what happened, she was finally able to think clearly.

A few minutes later, Makarov entered, informing the two teams that they are to combine, due to Raven Tail's disqualification the day before. They chose carefully, given the need for a five-man battle on the final day.

* * *

The new Fairy Tail team stood ready at the entrance to the stadium as they waited to be announced.

Laxus looked towards his shoulder, almost forgetting that the dragoness had regained her position around his neck.

"You should go with Gramps," Laxus said.

"No," Leora breathed. "I'm coming with you." Her eyes still glimmered with anger, even though her body did not show it.

Laxus rolled his eyes, knowing he wouldn't be able to convince her to leave. "Fine, but stay hidden." He adjusted his coat so that the dragoness would remain unseen under the fur collar.

"Fine."

The announcer's voice could be heard over the lacrima microphone.

"Here comes the new Fairy Tail Team!"

Mavis looked down upon the stadium from her position at the spectator's area as she spoke to the Sixth Master. "The feelings of our guild have now become one. We've entrusted these feelings to them." She continued to look on with determination. "This is the time to show them."

Her eyes flashed. "The strength of our bonds."

The arena shook from the sounds of the cheering crowd as Fairy Tail entered the stage.

Gray. Erza. Gajeel. Laxus. Natsu.

Team Fairy Tail.

All the members of Team Fairy Tail were shooting Sabertooth dark glares as they stood across from each other in the stadium. Sting's eyes were originally focused only upon Natsu, while Rogue's were focused on Gajeel, but they couldn't help but notice another pair of eyes. They scanned the arena until they settled upon the right shoulder of the lightning dragon slayer. Their breaths caught as soon as they saw two orbs of gold flash from within the darkness of the man's coat.

The pair of golden dragon eyes continued to stare straight at them, unyielding in the strength of their gaze. It was only when Fairy Tail's team turned back into the stadium that Sting and Rogue regained focus, breathing heavily.

"What is wrong with you two?" Minerva scolded, staring at the two frozen dragon slayers with disgust. How dare they show weakness in front of the enemy!

Sting and Rogue continued to stare at Laxus' retreating back.

They had forgotten that _she_ was watching.

* * *

The battles for day four consisted of tag team battles, with two mages sent out instead of one. Leora remained uninterested for the first two battles, opting to take a nap inside Laxus' coat. She was woken up by a small flick to the forehead.

Leora growled at him, but Laxus quickly cut her off.

"Oi, if you keep sleeping Sunshine, you're going to miss this."

Her attention was quickly diverted towards the arena.

"It's a heated arena, but be sure not to miss any of this next fight!" Chapati announced as the crowd went wild. "The guild known as the strongest seven years ago, will battle against the one that currently claims that title!"

"Fairy Tail's Natsu and Gajeel versus, Sabertooth's Sting and Rogue!"

The spectators cheered wildly as both pairs took to the arena. Leora, rose off of Laxus' shoulder and hopped onto the ledge before transforming back into her human form. Her long golden hair caught the breeze as she sat on the ledge with her legs hanging over.

Sting and Rogue took a quick glance towards the Fairy Tail competitor stands, quickly noticing that the dragoness had returned to her humanoid state. She was wearing a cropped corset and black pants, showing off both marks on her body. One of which clearly showed her allegiance to Fairy Tail. The other, to the lightning dragon slayer who had walked up to stand behind her with his arms crossed over his chest.

Leora's eyes caught their gaze and narrowed. She wanted the Sabers to know exactly who was watching their match today.

"Let's show everyone what we've got, Rogue." Sting said, with an arrogant smirk.

"Ah." Rogue nodded.

The match started with a bang as Natsu and Gajeel immediately landed a quick punch to the Sabers with insane speed, shocking the crowd. They continued to follow up on their attacks, leaving Sting and Rogue no time to react.

Leora's mind was occupied as she watched the match. Her eyes were only focused on one person in the arena.

Natsu Dragneel.

Zeref's younger brother.

As she watched she couldn't help, but notice the lack of resemblance between the two brothers. She had learned a little about the mysterious Natsu over the years as she travelled alongside the black mage. But if Zeref hadn't told her what his brother's name was, she wouldn't have noticed that it was him to begin with. When she had first heard his name after being forced into Fairy Tail she had to hide her immediate surprise. She hadn't expected to meet him so soon, but then again she had slept for approximately a hundred years.

She had attempted to test him, with that one match in the forest behind the guild, but she was sorely disappointed in his skills. He was far weaker than she had expected him to be. How was he supposed to fulfill Zeref's wishes?

As a dragon slayer, how was he to defeat Acnologia?

And as Zeref's brother…

How was he to bring upon the death of Zeref?

 _Etherious Natsu Dragneel._

Zeref's strongest 'demon'.

She will continue to watch to determine if he is capable of living up to that title.

The match seemed to favour towards the Fairy Tail dragon slayers as they started to overwhelm the Twin Dragons.

But, Sting and Rogue weren't about to lose just yet.

"White Drive." "Shadow Drive."

Sting and Rogue's speed and power instantly increased, allowing them to catch Natsu and Gajeel off guard.

"What is that?" Laxus asked.

"A magic amplification technique," Leora answered. She was impressed that the young dragon slayers would know of the technique. It was not taught to many.

But not even that was enough to stop the Fairy Tail dragon slayers as they countered the Sabers' attacks again and again. It only took Natsu one hand to block Sting's Holy Nova.

Leora raised a brow. It was too soon to come to a conclusion. She was still waiting for the Sabers to get serious.

"What are you waiting for…"

Sting and Rogue had been knocked to the ground, leaving the crowd to wonder whether the match was over. However, Leora quickly picked up on their laughter as they slowly stood up. She perked up when she noticed their magic power suddenly increase, swirling around the pair like two tall columns. Dragon scales began to cover parts of their faces, in white and in black.

Laxus' eyes widened. "This is-?!"

"This is the same as Laxus yesterday!" Gray exclaimed.

Leora nodded with a smile. "Dragon Force. The true power of a third generation dragon slayer."

Finally, the match will get interesting.

Sting chose to fight the two on his own, telling Rogue to step back. Within a couple of moves, he had Natsu and Gajeel cornered, even breaking apart the floor of the arena with a 'Holy Breath', causing the two to fall down into the stadium underground. Lacrima visions were quickly put up to broadcast the rest of the match, but Leora didn't need them. Her vision was fine from where she was.

The match continued with Sting still overpowering the other two, having knocked down the two Fairy Tail slayers.

' _Natsu Dragneel…is this all you've got?'_ Leora thought.

"Are both of them down?!" Chapati shouted through the microphone. The crowd looked on in worry.

Natsu's voice was suddenly heard. "Hold on, will you?" Both he and Gajeel immediately stood up with sheepish looks on their faces. "I've seen through all your attacks."

"H-How?! I was using Dragon Force!" Sting growled.

Natsu didn't hesitate to respond. "For example, when you attack, you pivot to eleven o-clock."

Gajeel interjected, slightly annoyed. "No…it's ten o'clock."

The two continued to argue until Natsu pushed Gajeel into a mine cart which just so happened to be there in the arena underground. Flipping the switch, Gajeel's angry shouts were heard as he descended into the mine, leaving only Natsu and the Twin Dragons in the arena.

"Gihi"

Leora rolled her eyes as she continued to watch.

Natsu walked up to the two dragons. "I alone am enough! Bring it on. Both of you!"

' _Show me what you're capable of,'_ Leora let out a thoughtful smile. _'Natsu. Dragneel.'_

 _Show me you are capable of fulfilling Zeref's last wish!_

With the might of his friends behind him, Natsu fought on with splendor, countering the Twin Dragons with ease. Fairy Tail continued to smile as they watched the confident grin on their comrade's face, placing their complete trust in their nakama.

Sting and Rogue wouldn't take this anymore. Placing their hands near each other, they prepared for their final attack.

"Unison Raid?!" Makarov exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.

* * *

 _There are walls you cannot take down with only power._

"Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang!"

The combined attack streamed straight towards Natsu, who turned to counter with a move of his own.

 _However, if a power existed that could tear down those walls. It would be the power of feelings._

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Exploding Crimson Flame Blade!"

The swirls of flame raged together and collided with the Sabers' attack, causing the entire side of the stadium to blow apart. The crowd watched on in shock and waited for the dust to clear.

 _A guild is a place where you strengthen your feelings._

The dust and rubble settled to reveal the fallen bodies of the Twin Dragons, with one Natsu Dragneel standing firm with the widest grin on his face.

The crowd went wild.

"Fairy Tail!" Chapati shouted. "The Twin Dragons have been defeated!"

Leora smiled as she watched the fire dragon slayer celebrate his win. However, her smile quickly turned into a small frown.

It wasn't enough.

 _Natsu Dragneel._

 _You'll need to get stronger._

* * *

Down in the infirmary with Lucy and Wendy, Charle suddenly froze as her premonition flashed before her eyes again.

A white knight. An enormous display of magic power. Mercurius collapsing and within that was Lucy, singing something. Lastly, a woman with long blonde hair, surrounded by a bright light as she desperately ran through an enormous open set of doors.

"What's wrong, Charle?" Wendy asked with concern.

"N-Nothing," Charle quickly responded. Again. The same premonitions again…

* * *

Somewhere in the outskirts of the city, a lone figure stood, watching, listening to the loud cheering in the stadium nearby. A long black cloak concealed their entire body, with a hood covering their face. A well-worn bracelet could be seen over their left wrist.

 _The time is near._

The figure turned towards the castle, knowing what lay within.

 _What would you choose?_

* * *

Later that night, Leora found herself creeping quietly through a dark cave as she continued to trail behind the dragon slayers and their exceeds. When Gajeel had finally returned from his mine adventure later that evening, he arrived with a serious look on his face and asked Natsu and Wendy to follow him. Somehow Lucy and Gray decided to join them as well. Curious, she had moved to follow, which was why she currently found herself sneaking around in the underground near the castle. Of course after last night, the dragon slayer wouldn't leave her alone, which was how she found him walking next to her as well, with a grumpy expression on his face. It was obvious that he didn't want to be here.

Leora and Laxus seemed to have travelled onto a different path and somehow they found themselves overlooking the area that Natsu and the others were currently standing in.

An area completely covered by dragon's bones.

Leora gasped in horror upon noticing the bones, but the sound was quickly muffled by Laxus' hand, which was now covering her mouth. She felt her legs give slightly and she would have fallen to the ground if the dragon slayer had not held her up. She felt his chest against her back as she leaned against him for support. Normally she would not have allowed this, but at that moment she was too stunned to care.

Wendy's voice suddenly reached her ears. "Milky Way!"

"What's that Wendy?" Lucy asked, her voice echoing throughout the cavern.

"A technique to listen to the voices of dragons that have ascended to the heavens," Wendy answered. "If we listen to the voices of the dragons here…we might find out what happened. And also about our own dragons that've disappeared."

Laxus looked down at the dragoness with concern as she started to shake ever so slightly. Did she know what happened here?

Within minutes, Wendy was able to draw the magic circle she needed to cast the spell. Everyone stepped back as Wendy cast Milky Way, and watched with awe as the bones around them started to shake. Suddenly a bright light swirled in front of them, gathering together and forming the image of a…dragon.

Even Laxus was shocked at the jade coloured dragon in front of him. Its roar shook the cave, scaring the slayers in the area below. But suddenly, the dragon started laughing, introducing himself as Zirconis, or the jade dragon. After some convincing, Zirconis began to tell the slayers what had happened in this area over four hundred years ago.

Leora closed her eyes tightly, wanting to shut everything out. She already knew what happened here, she didn't need to hear it again. The only thing calming her down was the scent of a lightning storm, having surrounded her like a warm embrace.

Zirconis began his tale. Telling of the war of the dragons and the creation of the dragon slayers. Zirconis himself was on the opposition, despising humans, only seeing them as food. He continued to tell of the one dragon slayer, who had too much power. Who had begun to slay all, friend or foe, until he bathed in so much dragon's blood that he became a dragon himself. The dragon's in the area, the graveyard, were all slain by that one 'man', soon giving himself the title of the Dragon's King.

Acnologia.

"All the dragons here were slain by the Dragon King," Zirconis repeated. "Others attempted to find other solutions, but all have perished."

Leora's breath hitched as Zirconis seemed to turn towards her.

"But it seems that I may wrong." Zirconis's image started to waver.

"The Hime will avenge us."

And with that Zirconis disappeared, his soul having ascended towards the heavens. Leora finally collapsed to her knees breathing heavily. She felt the dragon slayer's hand on her shoulder but she didn't pay it any attention.

Soon after an armoured man entered the area along with Yukino from Sabertooth.

"I wonder, do you know about Zeref's book of dark magic?" The man spoke. "Acnologia is something close to that, one can even speculate that Zeref made a dragon slayer into Acnologia."

The armoured man continued to walk closer. "In other words…Getting rid of Zeref, the root of all this, is the first step to defeating Acnologia."

At those words, Leora's head shot back up, staring straight into the area below, trying to understand what the man was saying. He was wrong...Zeref didn't create Acnologia...

"Who are you?!" Gajeel growled.

Charle paled. It was the white knight she saw in her premonitions!

The man introduced himself as Arcadios, the leader of the holy knights from the Fiore army stationed in Crocus. Yukino was currently stationed as his temporary sergeant. He told them about his need for the celestial mages and invited Natsu and the others to follow him out of the cave. Leora tried to follow as well, but Laxus held her back, not wanting her to cause any more trouble.

As soon as they left, Laxus let go of the dragoness and she immediately jumped into the area below. But she quickly fell to her knees once again, overwhelmed by all the dragon bones around her.

Laxus quickly followed, landing a couple feet behind her. His brows furrowed. His brain was swirling with so many unanswered questions right now. All revolving around the dragoness. He realized that he after all this time, he still knew almost nothing about her. And after everything that happened since they arrived at Crocus, he believed it was time he got answers.

"Leora."

Leora immediately turned towards the dragon slayer, slightly surprised. He almost never used her name.

Laxus walked around so that he was standing right in front of her. "You said that our Bond was built upon trust. Well I think it's time you trusted me enough to give me some answers."

Leora looked up at the dragon slayer, his stormy blue eyes catching her own in a heated stare. "Answers to what?"

"To everything," Laxus responded. "To yesterday's dragon, your run in with my father, your magic that you lied to me about." Laxus started to pace in front of her. "All of this-" He gestured towards the dragon bones. "And what did everyone mean when they called you 'Hime-sama'. It wasn't the first time I've heard that." He stopped in front of her once again.

"And lastly, Zeref."

Leora gasped. "How did you-" But she quickly reeled her emotions back in. "That's…a lot of questions."

Laxus' eyes narrowed. "I want a lot of answers." It was about damn time that she told him more about herself.

Leora sighed, sitting back on her heels. She didn't want to do this, but it didn't seem as if she had any other choice.

"Well…I guess I'd have to start here," she gestured towards the graveyard.

"Here. Four hundred years ago…"

The memory was still fresh in her mind, as if it had happened just yesterday…

xXx

 _Smoke and fire surrounded her as dragons flew overhead. The roars of pain filled the entire field. She tried to cover her ears to block out the sounds, but it was no use. She could hear her own cries as she stood there in the middle of the battlefield, bodies of dragons, friend and foe, lying beside her._

 _She had only wanted to come and look, to see what it was really like. She had been cooped up within her home for her entire life so she had wanted to see the battles. She had heard how great of a warrior her father was on the battlefield, taking down dragon after dragon. Taking down those dragons that had decided to side with those filthy little humans. Who would be stupid enough to side with food?_

 _Her father hadn't come home for years as he had been out defending their lands. When she had heard of where his next battle was, she had snuck out, in an attempt to find him. When she had arrived, she was at a loss for words. This wasn't what she had expected._

 _There were bodies, everywhere. They looked as if they had been slaughtered. The roars and cries of other dragons rang within her ears. The valley had been turned into a sea of flames. She quickly flew around the field, looking for her father. But he wasn't here. There were too many dragons in the sky, so she kept close to the ground, finally landing in an empty spot when she was too tired to fly._

 _Father…where are you?_

 _She had been so overwhelmed that she started to cry._

 _Suddenly, a dark shadow hovered over her, causing her to look up. She didn't even have the nerve to scream. Her entire body had seized up in fear._

 _The dragon was enormous, covered in black round scales with blue markings swirled around his back. His wings were bird-like in appearance and spread almost the length of the entire field. His large round eyes were focused directly on her. She trembled when she saw his jaws open, revealing his sharp fangs. She barely had the time to flinch as soon as she saw his jaws come down towards her. She closed her eyes._

 _Suddenly a loud roar rang out in the field, followed by a loud crack of thunder._

 _She looked up and gasped as she saw the large dragon in front of her. Large amber scales covered his body, with enormous wings spread across the valley. Sparks surrounded his body in rage._

" _Father!"_

 _He was here! He would protect her!_

 _Her father growled back at her. "Leora! Why are you here?!"_

" _I-I wanted to see you Father!" She protested._

" _Go home! It's not safe!" Her father commanded. His back was facing her as his eyes were currently narrowed towards the dark dragon. She knew who it was._

 _The False Dragon King._

" _But!"_

" _Now Leora!" Acnologia chose that moment to attack, sending a roar of light towards her father. She screamed._

" _Father!" She suddenly felt a large clawed hand surround her body as she was suddenly lifted up into the air. She looked up first in fear, but relaxed minutely when she realized who it was._

" _Zirconis!"_

 _The jade dragon looked down at her with concern. "Hime-sama. It's not safe here. We must get you back to your mother."_

" _But Father!"_

" _Your father will be fine."_

 _Roars filled the field as the two dragons continued to fight. Leora watched with awe as her father fought the Dragon King. This was the first time she had seen her father fight. He really was a great warrior._

 _One day she will be just like him. She will protect her lands from humans and false Dragon Kings…_

 _Suddenly a pained roar rang out, causing Leora to gasp. Her father had been knocked to the ground by the dark dragon. She watched with concern as he struggled to stand on his two hind feet. The dark dragon raced towards her father, claw outstretched-_

" _Hime-sama. Don't look," Zirconis' voice sounded pained._

" _Father!" She screamed. Her voice caught within her throat as she watched a dark clawed hand protrude from her father's back, blood splattering over the field. The claw was quickly removed and her father stumbled backwards before falling onto the ground, the impact causing the valley to rumble._

" _NO!"_

 _She felt herself quickly being flown away from the battlefield. She had no idea how long they flew, her mind having went completely blank. Soon enough, her home came into view and she was gently placed down onto the ground. Her mother was already standing in front, waiting, and judging from the look on her face she already knew._

" _Mother!" She shouted as she ran into her mother's arms, bursting into tears once again. "It's all my fault! I'm so sorry!"_

" _Quiet child," her mother's voice calm and soothing as her hands ran small circles over her back. "You've done nothing wrong. Come, we must get inside."_

" _I'm going back," Zirconis announced giving them a nod, before he flew back in the direction of the battlefield._

 _He never returned._

xXx

Laxus didn't know how to respond after he listened to Leora's painful recollection. He knew that she must have led a hard life, being practically the last of the dragons, but he didn't know it was like this.

"My father was reigning King of the Thunder Dragons in his time," Leora continued, after she had finished with her recollection. "His name was Raiden. He served for thousands of years." She let out a dry smirk. "He was on the opposite side of the war you know. Against the humans. Your people were technically just food at the time. But it was ironic, since we lived amongst humans."

Laxus raised a brow, but let Leora continue.

"The war had started before I was born. In order to hide her from the war, my father situated my mother with humans. When I was born, I became his princess, fated to inherit his lands after he passed. My father gave me a human-like name, calling me his light of hope. I didn't understand at the time, but after he died I started to, and killing Acnologia soon became my only goal." Her voice started to show signs of strain as she struggled to keep all her hatred reigned in. "But I was young and weak, still only a hatchling at the time."

"After the battle was over, we eventually went back to gather my father's bones and we sealed them within his den. Fifty years later, Acnologia finally found us. He raided our home and I had to run. While I was running, I got captured."

"Captured?" Laxus asked.

"By humans," Leora let out a dry laugh. "Pathetic wasn't I? For someone who had shunned humans for so long, I had been captured by a group of them and thrown into a dark dungeon, chained up with some weird magic that kept my powers sealed up. I was there for twenty years, tortured daily since I refused to help them."

She turned to glance at the dragon slayer, who had now sat down beside her. She could feel his heavy gaze, but she didn't want his pity. "And that was how I met Rhaegal, the dragon we fought yesterday."

Laxus' eyes widened.

"He was younger than I was and yet he was already chained there when I arrived, and together we survived those next twenty years. At first, I wanted to kill him after he said he was Acnologia's son. But then he told me how the Dragon King had murdered his mother right in front of his eyes, and I knew at that moment that he had the same goal as I did."

Laxus' brow furrowed as he saw her expression soften. He couldn't stop himself from asking. "What is he to you?"

She didn't hesitate. "He's family."

Laxus didn't know how to respond to that, his hands tightening into fists. After yesterday's display, he had a hard time envisioning that the dark dragon cared for Leora as if she was family.

When he didn't say anything further, she continued. "One day, a day that I would never forget, I was in the middle of another torture session, when suddenly the man holding me up by the neck just dropped dead. A man with black hair and dark eyes had walked inside my cage. He was dressed in a high-collared black and tan robe with a large white toga draped around his torso."

"Zeref," Laxus hissed. What was Zeref doing there?

However, Leora's voice didn't hold any hostility, instead it held admiration. "Yes, Zeref. He saved me that day. Granted me freedom for the sole price that I was to help him defeat Acnologia. Of course, I took it. I told Zeref to take Rhaegal as well. Zeref freed me from those damned chains…and I killed every single human in that dungeon that night. And I enjoyed every moment of it."

Leora turned towards the dragon slayer, waiting for a look of disgust to appear on his face. But it didn't show. "You aren't disturbed?"

Laxus' fists clenched even further. He knew he should be more disproving of the way she slaughtered those humans, but he realized that if he was in the same position-

"I would have done the same thing," Laxus hissed. He watched as she gave him a look of surprise, before it turned into a slight pained smile.

"Well, that was how I met Zeref," Leora said, not wanting to divulge any more details than necessary. "I travelled with him for the next two centuries, but every once in a while I would return to my lands to check on my father's den. After he had died, we had his bones retrieved and placed inside our den. With time, whatever power was left somehow crystalized into a lacrima." She looked more carefully at him. "A dragon's lacrima."

Laxus stiffened. He had an inkling as to where this part of the story was headed.

"Over the years I guarded over my father's lacrima, preventing anyone from nearing his resting place. But I had forgotten about it when I went through my hundred-year slumber." Her tone was slightly playful now. "When I woke up, I came across a man who had a similar lightning signature as my father's. And lo and behold, he turned out to be a dragon slayer, who just happened to enslave me."

Laxus opened his mouth to protest, but stopped after he saw the gentle smile that was on her face as she continued. "For the longest time I wanted to kill him. Partially to free myself, but also to remove the lacrima from his body."

"So why didn't you?" Laxus asked, unable to stop himself from asking.

Her golden eyes were mesmerizing as they locked onto his. "Because you are still alive."

"What do you mean?"

Leora let out a slight laugh. "My father's power was mighty. And even after it had dwindled over the years within the lacrima, you should've died the moment it was placed within you. The fact that you're still alive means that you were meant to have it. And besides, you've done more with it than I ever could."

Laxus was asking a lot of questions today. "How?"

"Ask yourself?" Leora answered. "My father's power was but a fraction when I had last seen it, but somehow, you've been able to make that magic grow within you, turning it into something I never would've imagined was possible." It was true. When she had first realized what the dragon slayer had done with her father's power, she was impressed to say the least. She didn't think it was possible.

Laxus sat speechless for a moment. At first he had been angry, after having almost confirmed that his magic power had come purely from the dragon's lacrima and not from his own will. It had hurt, reinforcing his young fears that he was weak. But after what she had said, he felt a weight lifted off his chest. Yes, he had gotten power from the lacrima, but the growth he experienced afterwards was his own.

He must have been staring off into space for a while, since he came back to focus only when a clawed hand waved over his face.

"Are you alright?" Leora asked.

"Ah," Laxus answered. "But, I still don't get what my father had to do with this."

"You told me he was the one who found it and gave it to you," Leora said. "So I assumed he was the one who stole it and decided to question him. But it didn't quite go according to plan…" The man didn't admit to stealing it, which either meant he was lying or someone else was behind this.

"Which is why you ended up using your magic," Laxus said, his hands fisting together. He had seen her demonstration last night and it sent shivers up his spine. It was dark magic. Really dark magic. "When did you realize you had it?"

"That night," Leora whispered. "In the Tenrou Tree."

Laxus tensed as he realized that she had been lying to him for so long.

"I was afraid," Leora continued, her body subconsciously curling up as she hugged her knees to her chest. "I didn't have it under control until just before we left the island."

That he didn't like hearing. "When does it usually flare up?"

"When I'm angry or filled with some other negative emotion," Leora confessed. "It's fine now, I think. But I don't like to use it."

"You shouldn't," Laxus said. "You don't need that. You're strong without it."

She looked towards him, eyes wide with an undecipherable emotion, before she turned away again. "Well, I think that should answer all of your questions." She moved to stand and waited for Laxus to do the same. "We should probably head back."

She turned to head towards the cave entrance, but was stopped by a hand on her wrist.

"What about your mother?" Laxus remembered that she had mentioned her, and was slightly curious since she never divulged any further details about her.

A sharp glare was returned his way. "My mother is not up for discussion."

Laxus was slightly taken aback by the sharp tone she had. Seems like her mother was just as sore a subject to her as his was to him. However, he wouldn't push. She had already told him more than he had ever expected her to. He was both surprised and honoured that she had shared so much of herself with him tonight. It had made it...happy.

However, there was one last question that was sitting at the back of his mind. "What about _him_? What is _he_ to you?"

He had asked a similar question just earlier, but they both knew that he was not talking about Rhaegal anymore. This question was directed towards Zeref.

Leora thought longer on this question, not sure how to put what she felt in words.

"He was...my savior."

Laxus' grip tightened around Leora's wrist. "How could you feel that way about…him? He's done so much harm to the world."

Laxus was amazed at how fast she spun around and was taken aback at the fire he saw within her eyes.

Leora seethed. "This is why I hated humans. Always made up rumors and then believed them without trying to seek out the truth themselves. All those things that they say he did, the chaos he ensued, he never did most of that!" She ripped her arm back from his grasp. "He never had a choice!" Whether he wanted to or not, Zeref would have ended up killing anyways. Such was the curse that was placed upon him. "In fact, most of the chaos and terror was caused by me!"

She stepped forward her eyes blazing. "I was the one who tore through those villages, and you know what?!" A cruel smile graced her face. "For the longest time, I liked it. I liked hearing the screams that the humans made as they tried to run. I liked the way their blood splattered as I tore through them. I liked all of it."

She pointed towards herself. "That was the monster that I was. And if you can't forgive Zeref for the things you assume that he did, then I can't see how you can forgive me for the things that I've actually done!" Her voice echoed throughout the cave walls.

She continued to breathe heavily, waiting in heavy silence for his answer.

Laxus looked back at her, his expression hard to decipher. "You're right, I should only believe in the things that I see."

Her eyes looked him, slightly pained. She knew it. He did see her as a-

He continued. "But what I see in front of me is someone who gets angry when her nakama are hurt, who wanted to get revenge on those that hurt them. Someone, who risked their own life to save mine. My _human_ life."

Laxus crossed his arms over his chest, staring at her with strong eyes. "Nowhere here do I see a monster."

Leora remained speechless, unshed tears welling in her eyes. How could he say that with such...ease? They stood for a few moments longer in silence, as neither knew what else to say.

Laxus then held out his hand. "Come on, they'll start to worry."

Leora nodded slowly, before silently taking the dragon slayer's outstretched hand. The entire walk back to the bar, her brain continued to spin. She had been so angry at the assumptions he made about Zeref, but somehow within seconds he was able to dispel it all, stunning her in the process with his words. Just who was this man in front of her?

Why can he affect her so?

* * *

By the time they returned to the bar, the atmosphere inside was somewhat dampening. Natsu, Gray and the other dragon slayers had just returned and had proceeded to tell the group what had just happened to them in the castle. As soon as the topic reached the Eclipse plan, Laxus could immediately feel the static in the air around the dragoness rise.

To go back in time four hundred years to destroy Zeref.

Laxus had to place had on Leora's shoulder to prevent her from doing anything drastic. He had a small feeling as to why she was so against the idea. If Zeref was killed four hundred years back, no one would have been there to free her from the dungeon…

Leora was still seething from the nonsense the capital was trying to achieve. They can't kill Zeref! They just can't! In her rage she had only caught the tail end of the conversation.

"Lucy was captured by the Imperial Army?!" Erza exclaimed.

Laxus looked on with his arms crossed, slightly annoyed. "So in the end, we have to win the tournament to get her back?"

"I don't even know if we can even rely on that…" Gray said.

"Like I said, who cares about that?!" Natsu raged. He was currently being tied to one of the pillars in the bar. "I'm going to get her out right now!"

"Please calm down, Natsu-san," Wendy pleaded.

"Your opponent is an entire empire," Charle reasoned.

"But why did they let the rest of us go like that?" Gray asked thoughtfully.

"They must have concluded it would be useless to hide this any longer," Erza said. "Besides they still needed contestants in the Grand Magic Tournament."

"Even if it's the empire they probably wouldn't want to make an enemy out of a magic guild," Juvia added.

"We all agree that Lucy taken hostage sits well with no one," Erza said. "But it doesn't go against the Imperial Army's code of justice."

"That's it!" Natsu shouted as he broke through his bonds. "I can't sit here listening to this crap anymore! I'm going!"

His escape was short lived as he was immediately pummeled to the ground by a giant fist.

"Calm down," the Master said, his voice grave. "A member of our family was taken, those feelings boiling up in you, we all feel the same way. We have to think carefully before making our move, we have quite the nasty opponent this time…but to stay silent and do nothing, like cowards…is not the Fairy Tail way."

Leora remained silent throughout this entire exchange, but inside her mind, the wheels were already turning. She'll be damned if she ever let any one of those capital soldiers use the Eclipse.

Zeref can't die four hundred years ago.

It wasn't his time.

* * *

 _ **A/N: The next chapter marks the beginning of the final day of the GMG! This chapter was slightly slower than the rest, but needed considering it finally gave more back story into Leora's past, aside from her vague flashbacks.**_

 _ **Until next chapter!**_


	19. Arc II-19: Fulfilled Premonitions

**Chapter 19**

Fireworks lit the stadium and the sounds of enthusiastic cheering filled the arena on the final day of the Grand Magic Games.

"It's finally here! The festival that gets the blood of every mage pumping, the final day of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati announced. Each of the teams were announced into the stadium, starting with Quatro Puppy, followed by Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, Sabertooth and finally…

Fairy Tail.

The crowd was slightly stunned when Fairy Tail walked out sans Natsu. But nonetheless they were excited to see the five members that walked into the arena.

Juvia. Erza. Gray. Gajeel. Laxus.

The rest of Fairy Tail cheered on their team once again from their place in the spectator's area, alongside one grumpy dragoness.

Leora sat there on the ledge with a dark expression on her face and a dark cloud of displeasure hanging around her. This was ridiculous. Why was she to sit here doing nothing when everyone else seemed to be helping. She still fumed over the dragon slayer's instant rejection when she offered up to be on the rescue team last night.

" _Let me go too," she said adamantly. She refused to stand by and do nothing._

" _Absolutely not," the dragon slayer said, immediately shutting the idea down. She sent a glare in his direction, but his gaze was equally unyielding. "Having you running through the halls of the castle would be chaotic at best and suicidal at worst."_

 _She tried to protest, but even the Master cut her off._

" _Laxus is right Leora," Makarov answered. "It's too risky having you go. The kingdom already has its eyes on you, we don't know what they would do if they caught you."_

" _Besides, you haven't fully recovered yet," Laxus pointed out._

" _I have!" She protested._

" _Ohh…really?" Laxus taunted. "Show me."_

 _That immediately shut her up. She knew she had limited access to her powers, having still been drained after her battle with Rhaegal._

 _She growled in frustration. "Fine. I'll stay and watch."_

 _She wanted to remove the smirk on the dragon slayer's face. "Now that's a good girl."_

"Now there Leora," Mavis said soothingly. "You know Laxus is just looking out for you."

"More like trying to keep me caged up," Leora grumbled.

"Nonsense my dear!" Makarov injected. "Laxus is merely looking out for your safety, having you stay here under my watch. However…my eyes have been getting weak lately…and I may lose my attention for a second…and if you just happened to disappear for a moment…there's nothing much I can really do to stop you…I mean it's not like I can fly…"

A slow grin broke out on Leora's face. While she was slightly put off by having to lie to the dragon slayer, if she came back before the match was over, he wouldn't even know. And as much as she would like to watch this match, she had faith in the lightning mage. He was bonded to _her_ after all.

Both Mavis and Makarov smiled as Leora stood up and turned to leave.

"Bring our children home," Makarov said.

Leora nodded, before she disappeared into the crowd. She did not take flight until she left the stadium, her wings spreading out behind her and lifting her into skies. It didn't take her long to locate Natsu and the others and as soon as she caught sight of them she transformed into the miniature version of her natural self.

She didn't notice a hooded figure standing on a rooftop nearby, watching her as she flew by. The hooded figure once again touched upon the worn out bracelet on their left wrist. _It's almost time._

Reaching the rescue team in seconds, Leora landed on Natsu's shoulder as he was running towards the castle.

"Yosh!" Natsu shouted in excitement. "I knew you'd come!"

"Leora nee-san!" Wendy exclaimed with a wide smile.

"Oh dear," Mira commented as they continued to run. "Laxus isn't going to be happy about this…"

Leora huffed while she continued to perch on Natsu's shoulder. "He doesn't need to find out." As long as she didn't do anything that would trigger any suspicion through the Bond, he shouldn't find out.

"But how do we get in without getting detected?" Wendy asked as they neared the castle.

"It's fine," Mira answered with a smile. "I've thought of something."

* * *

Meanwhile back in the stadium, the tournament was about to start. The all member participation survival game…

The Grand Magic Tournament.

With the battlefield being the entire town of Crocus, each of the teams were already stationed in their designated spots.

Laxus stood there with the rest of his team waiting for signal to start. They had already been briefed by the First Master on how they should move forward.

As soon as the signal was given, Team Fairy Tail shouted, ready for what lay ahead of them. Immediately after, they stopped and stood still. Every move had already been planned, and yet Laxus couldn't help but feel as if something was a little out of place as he waited…

Whilst they were waiting, each and every other team had already begun to move. In quick fashion, numbers began to dwindle.

Those watching from the spectator stands were starting to get nervous at Fairy Tail's lack of movement.

"What in blazes is this?! Didn't we say we would win to get Lucy back?" Makarov shouted in shock and frustration.

Mavis only gave a smile as she watched. "That is precisely why…we must remain calm…I have been analyzing the enemies' magical power, psychology and movement patterns for the past four days. With that in mind, I carried out many simulations."

"What the-?"

"The movements of the enemies and results…everything has gone according to my calculations so far."

Makarov could only sit there with his mouth open in shock.

"I've already conveyed the plan to them," Mavis continued. Her eyes shined with a determination they've never seen on the First Master's face before. "To lead my comrades to victory without fail…this is my battle."

Mavis stood up on the ledge, pointing to the skies. "Fairy Tail Star Strategy, Activate!"

"Roger!" Out in the town of Crocus, Team Fairy Tail shouted, before making their move and dispersing.

Makarov watched in awe as Mavis continued to shout out her commands to the Team within the town. Then he remembered, the First's nickname. With an extraordinary strategic mind, the First has compiled victories as…

Leora smiled as she hid within Mira's coat just as they were about to enter the castle. She could hear what was happening the town nearby. That's right, she didn't need to worry about what happened in the Games because there was…

"Fairy Strategist Mavis…"

* * *

As the match went on in the town, Leora had no idea how things had ended up like this. One moment they were in the dungeons about to rescue Lucy and the Sabertooth woman, and in the next, they had fallen into some underground labyrinth. By then, she had already reverted back to her humanoid form.

Remaining calm she placed her palm to the floor and sent out what little lightning she had within her body. Similar to what Laxus had done during the preliminary round, she had hoped to somehow locate the exit. However, it seemed she didn't have enough energy for her lightning to reach the exit. It was apparently too far.

This day was already not going according to plan.

Leora didn't know how long they had been walking, but judging from the sounds above her it seemed as if they were below the city now. She could vaguely hear the sounds of battle above them and judging from their intensity, the fights must have been getting serious.

After squeezing through a tight passage, the group came across the body of Arcadios lying on the ground.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Natsu asked as he knelt down next to Arcadios' body.

"Maybe he was dropped here just like us?" Lucy supposed.

Arcadios started to stir. "Ugh…ru..n!"

At those words, Leora immediately turned around to see the looming body behind them. How could she be so careless to not have noticed him earlier? Almost immediately, their rescue group was surrounded…

By the kingdom's strongest executioners.

The Garou Knights.

The leader of the Garou Knights seemed to have noticed Leora. "You! You were the dragon who wreaked havoc upon Domus Flau just a couple of days ago. A menace like you shouldn't remain alive. We will be placing our sentence upon you as well."

Leora snarled, her body tensing for battle. She didn't know if she had enough energy to take down one, let alone all five of them.

"Leave Leora-nee alone!" Wendy shouted. "She protected all of us that day. Including the entire town! You have no right to say that to her!"

Natsu snarled at the Knights as well, angered at their treatment to his nakama. "Wendy's right!" Natsu suddenly realized something. "Well then. It looks like we've found our exit!"

"We'll force them to tells us how to get out of here," Mira said with a dark smile of her own. Now all they needed was to defeat the Knights.

"Lucy, Yukino, you don't have your keys, so keep your distance," Wendy instructed. The two celestial mages did as told and stepped back.

"You too, Leora," Natsu said, standing in front of her. "You still haven't recovered."

"I can fight!" Leora growled.

Natsu turned back with a smile. "We know, but you gotta let us have some time in the spotlight too. Can't have you and Laxus stealing the show all the time."

Leora couldn't help but smile as she conceded and stepped back to protect, Lucy and the Saber woman. She thought she had to do this alone, but she was wrong. Seeing the others around her, she knew they were in this together. "Alright."

Leora watched Natsu, Wendy, Mira and Pantherlily fight while she protected the girls. It concerned her as the battle seemed to be favouring towards the Garou Knights. However, as soon as she decided to join in, a gigantic carnivorous flower appeared in the ceiling of the cave, attempting to suck all of them inside. Following the lead of the others, she channeled as much of her energy as she could in order to destroy the carnivorous flower.

The resulting explosion had blown them all apart from one another.

Leora walked the lone halls in the underground labyrinth, attempting to find the others. She had been separated by the explosion and found herself alone. But she knew the others were in trouble, she could hear the sounds of battle within the labyrinth. She started to run towards the nearest familiar scent she culd find.

She just hoped she didn't get there too late.

When she had finally come across one of the others, she didn't expect the scene before her. Concentrating what energy she had left within her, she managed to conjure up a lightning sword, only just managing to block the enemy's scythe from slashing down onto Natsu's unconscious body.

"What did you do to him?" Leora growled as she stepped in-between Natsu's body and the hooded man. She remembered this one. The leader of the Knights was it? He glared at her through the metal mask over his face, his twin scythes held in the air.

Scythes…how ironic.

"I aim for the necks of sinners," The Knight said calmly. "Whether they are conscious or not when I strike matters not to me."

"Then you'll be happy to deal with me," Leora smirked. "For I have sinned more than can ever be repaid in a thousand lifetimes." She stepped forward, pointing her sword in his direction. "But you'll have to touch my neck in order to cut it off. And trust me, many before you have tried, and failed to succeed."

Leora praised her dragon's body in the fight that ensued as it was only due to her strength and speed that she had held up. She had to admit that this Knight was skilled, but his left scythe was useless against one that did not use magic. However, without her lightning, she was unable to deal any long range action, leaving her to exchange blows with her sword. It was pathetic of her to admit it, but at this moment, they were evenly matched.

* * *

In the town above the underground battles, the Grand Magic Tournament was finally coming to a climax. In one end of town, Erza was facing Kagura and Minerva. In another end, there was Gray and Juvia versus Leon and Chelia. Closer to the castle, Gajeel had just met up with Rogue.

And right by the clock tower, Laxus just ran into Orga, from Sabertooth. Just as the first had planned.

"We finally meet, Laxus." Orga said as he approached.

Laxus stood firm with his arms crossed, his coat catching the slight breeze as it remained on his shoulders. "Black lightning, huh…"

"So you've noticed?" Orga smiled. "Indeed…my lightning slays gods."

"Killing gods…ain't nothing compared to killing fairies…" Laxus replied with a smirk.

"Where's your pet dragon?" Orga taunted. "She seemed like quite the woman I'd like to meet."

Laxus scoffed. "As if she'd give you the time of day."

"We'll see after I defeat you." Orga growled.

Two fists of yellow and black lightning clashed moments later.

Orga smirked. "Looks like you're not all bark…"

"Where'd all that big talk go?" Laxus sniped.

"I wonder…" Orga replied cryptically.

Laxus snorted. He was prepared for another round, when suddenly heavy footsteps approached them.

"Well, well…" A calm voice entered the area. "Looks like I've stumbled across a couple of heavy weights…"

Laxus' eyes widened as he watched Jura approach with a massive amount of magic power radiating out of him.

"Mind if I join in?" Jura asked, with a small smile on his face. "It's been quite a while since I've been able to let loose…"

Laxus chuckled as he imagined how the next fight will go. However, his eyes widened as he suddenly felt something familiar pulling at him. It was Leora's presence and…it seemed to be coming from…directly below him?!

* * *

Leora was still clashing swords with the leader of the Garou Knights when an unwelcome voice appeared inside her head.

 _What the hell are you doing down there?!_

Leora flinched slightly as she blocked another one of the man's swings. The dragon slayer seemed...quite agitated. She was hoping that he'd mistake her for something else if she ignored him…

 _Stop ignoring me Sunshine, I know you can hear me._

She gritted her teeth, just as she flipped away from the Knight.

 _I just happened to have gone for a walk, that's all._

Leora winced just as the man's scythe caught a part of her shoulder, drawing blood. Even without their emotional channel open she could hear the anger in his voice. He must have sensed her injury.

 _A walk that somehow results in you getting hurt?_

She said the first thing her mind could think of.

 _I tripped._

Laxus growled out loud at the outrageous excuse that the dragoness had given him. He had explicitly told her not to go on the rescue mission, and what did she do? Go on the goddamn rescue mission. He didn't even have time to respond, since Jura had just knocked out Orga in one blow and now his focus was directed towards him.

Laxus gritted his teeth as he faced the mage before him. His mind was currently in two places as once. A part of him was still worrying about the dragoness below him.

"An all-out match with you is something I have been looking forward to for quite some time," Jura said. "Makarov dono's…"

"Woah, woah, woah," Laxus cut him off. "Stop right there. At this very moment…you're not some old man with a pretentious title and I'm not anyone's grandson." Laxus began to remove his coat. "We're just two men."

Jura smiled at the intense look radiating from his opponent. "That's fine by me."

Laxus immediately shot forward.

Down in the underground below, Leora's eyes widened as she felt the impact above her, the cave ceiling rumbling slightly. The dragon slayer must be engaged in his own battle at the moment. However, the leader of the Knights took advantage of her slight pause and swung for her neck. Leora could only lean back to avoid the swing, but she misjudged the reach of his scythe. As the scythe swung downwards, it caught the entirety of her midsection, slicing a deep gash right across her abdomen, pain shooting immediately up her spine.

She wasn't surprised to immediately hear him. She even felt him pushing against the Bond. Sighing, she opened the door to their emotions. Immediately she felt his worry crash into her like a violent wave.

 _What just happened?!_

Leora growled as she sensed the dragon slayer's own pain moments later. Her own wound was nothing to worry about, it was already healing.

 _Worry about your own match!_

Laxus' eyes narrowed as he lay there, eating dirt from the ground. He had been distracted by Leora's pain and was instantly knocked to the ground with one hand by Jura.

He didn't feel any concern flowing through the bond. Instead all he felt was annoyance, as if she was displeased at his lack of attention for his own battle. Tch. Of course she wouldn't be worried for him. However, she was right, he had to focus on his own match. He couldn't afford a wavering mind in front of Jura.

Standing above him Jura spoke with calm arrogance. "In this word, there's always somebody higher than you…"

Laxus grunted as he pushed onto his knees. "No shit…"

"But sometimes, you need to look down, too…" He shot upwards like the lightning flowing through his veins. "Cause the other guy might be at your feet!" A lightning infused punch landed straight into Jura's jaw, blowing him backwards.

Leora sighed as she faced the Garou Knight, whose face was currently frozen in shock at the rate her abdomen was stitching itself back together. She looked down herself, noting that she was already entirely healed.

"I think this is enough," Leora said, her voice growing calm. Her eyes flickered back towards Natsu's still unconscious body, before a flash of anger flowed through them. Anger, for her friends who had to endure this, at herself for not preventing this. At her weakness…

She was always too weak. Never strong enough when it mattered the most. The negative emotions began to consume her as darkness began to swirl around her.

"I vowed to myself that I wouldn't be like this anymore." She started to walk towards the Garou Knight, dropping her lightning sword in the process. She didn't need that anymore. She calmly pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, its ends already died crimson from her own blood and held it in place with a simple black ribbon. After which, she held her right hand out, darkness already concentrating around it. "But seeing as there is no one here to watch, I guess I can return to the way I used to be. After all, I am what I am. I'll always be a monster…"

The Garou Knight backed up in fear, a mixture of the blood on her body and the look in her eyes had him frozen. Her eyes. Her eyes were dark and void of emotion and yet her lips were curled into a smile that signaled her…glee? For a moment they even seemed to have flashed black. She was right. Those were the eyes of a true monster…

In a split second the blonde menace disappeared before the Knight felt excruciating pain in his back. He felt her claw straight through his armor. But the pain, seemed to extend from more than just the immediate wound, as he seemed to feel as if his very flesh was slowly being eaten away. That magic! What the hell was that black magic?!

He didn't have time to contemplate on that as she was once again right in front of him, her right claw aiming straight for his heart. He closed his eyes, knowing that his final moment was here…

Laxus froze in the middle of his battle as soon as he felt the cold anger and dark glee flowing through the Bond. What was happening? This feeling…it felt the same as when he saw her about to kill his father…!

Leora's mind went blank as she pulled her claw back, black tendrils circling around her hand. She reached forward, fully intending on killing the man in front of her when suddenly she heard two voices shouting.

 _STOP!_ "STOP!"

Leora paused, her right claw just inches away from the man's heart. She looked up and could still see the man's eyes closed shut behind his metal mask. At this close range she could smell his fear. She turned her head slowly towards the second voice she heard.

There, off to the side, slowly getting up off the ground was Natsu.

"Leora, don't," Natsu said through gritted teeth. He didn't know what happened. One minute he had been blown away and the next he woke up to see this. He had never seen Leora's eyes like that before. Even now, they were cold and emotionless until she finally seemed to recognize him. Immediately they warmed with recognition, then froze with fear and realization. The black magic instantly disappeared, like it was drifted away by wind.

Leora didn't know what was happening. So many things were flowing through her mind. She had heard the dragon slayer's voice...and then a sense of reassurance flowed through the Bond. Why was he reassuring her? She almost killed the man! But then she watched Natsu stare at her, and she waited for the fear to reach his eyes as well. She waited for the disgust to appear in a curl of his lips, given that he had seen what she was about to do. But it never came. Instead all she felt was that same reassurance, that comforting look in his eyes that told her that she was going to be okay. That all she had to do was step back.

Her emotions calmed down.

But as she was stuck within her inner turmoil, she failed to defend herself from what came next.

She gasped as a sharp pain shot through her chest. She turned back towards the man she had almost killed, only to see the blade of his scythe protruding from her chest. It made a clean stab through, the tip of the blade poking out from her back. As he pulled the scythe back, she stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. Blood gushed out of the large wound in her chest and pooled around her.

 _Sunshine!_ "Leora!"

Leora breathed heavily as she stared at the man in front of her. He looked down at her with a mix of fear and rage, blood dripping down his scythe. She knew she didn't have the energy to dodge his next swing.

"The tables have turned haven't they," Leora let out a dry laugh. She closed her eyes and awaited her fate. Her ears caught the slice of the blade through the air as it swung and the sound of footsteps as Natsu scrambled to run towards her. She felt his arms wrap around her, prepared to pull her away, but her eyes sprang back open as soon as she heard the crack of thunder right in front of her. She was momentarily blinded by the flash of lightning as it came through the ground from above her.

But that was impossible. She didn't have any power left-

 _Dragon slayer…_

"Laxus!" Natsu shouted in both frustration and relief as he caught the scent of lightning and who it belonged to. The strike had caused the Garou Knight to recoil just long enough for him to carry Leora away to safety. "Stop stealing the thunder here!"

Laxus fist was still sparking with lightning as it rested upon the large crater he created. Everyone watching the match looked on with confusion, wondering as to why the lightning mage suddenly hit the ground out of nowhere. Even Jura was slightly confused. However, he immediately sobered up and struck the lightning mage causing him to fly into another building.

"You're looking a little distracted there, Laxus." Jura said as he stepped forward.

Laxus slowly moved to his feet once more, blood dripping down his chin. He instantly felt a small wave of worry through the Bond. Oh now she decided to be worried about him? Goddamnit, that dragon needed to worry more about herself at the moment. As if sensing his thoughts, she sent him her own message of reassurance.

 _I'm fine…Natsu's here._

Laxus spit out a bit of blood as he scoffed. "Well that pink fluff better do a good job." But hearing that Natsu was there did reassure him. Now he can focus entirely on the match. And boy did he need to deliver some payback at the moment. With renewed fervor, he bolted towards Jura, prepared for another one of the toughest battles of this tournament.

Jura seemed to sense that the man's full attention was finally upon him. Letting out a knowing smile, he wasted no time in letting this brat know what it truly meant to fight against him. Large pillars of rock immediately sprang up from the ground, but Laxus dodged them with ease. His body surrounded by lightning, Laxus went in for another attack.

"Lightning Dragon's Heavenward Halberd!"

The spear of lightning travelled at insane speeds towards the earth mage, causing him to respond defensively.

"Talus!"

The rock shield went up, causing a large explosion upon impact. Laxus didn't give Jura anytime to relax, as he was instantly within strike zone. The fight progressed into a pure fist fight, with each taking blows.

* * *

Natsu cracked his knuckles as he stared down the man who tried to kill his nakama. "I won't forgive you for what you almost did." Fists lit with the same fire in his eyes, he charged towards the Garou Knight. Given the Knight's injuries, it only took two swings for Natsu to relieve the man of his scythe, leaving him weaponless.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

The Knight shot back onto his feet after being hit. "Why are you defending a murderer?!"

Natsu growled as he shot forward once again. "She's not a murderer. Unlike you, she stopped." His swing hit the man straight in the gut. "You didn't stop."

Leora gasped as she heard Natsu's words. It was lie. She didn't intend to stop either. Not until she heard their voices…

The Garou Knight snarled as he was hit back once again. "Pushing me back like this, do you plan on making an enemy of the entire empire?!"

"Making it…my enemy?" Natsu growled again as flames surrounded his body. "The question you should be asking yourself is…are you really prepared to make Fairy Tail your enemy?!"

"If it's to protect our family, be it the empire or the entire world…we would make anyone our enemy!"

Natsu's next strike hit the man straight in the chest.

"That's what it means to be Fairy Tail!"

Leora watched in awe as Natsu defeated the Knight, sending him flying straight into the adjacent wall.

 _Maybe he will be strong enough._

In that exact moment, the surrounding walls broke apart as the rest of the Garou Knights flew in, landing in a neat little pile in front of them. Moments later, the others filed in as well, filled with relief that they had all made it back safe.

Wendy gasped as she saw the amount of blood over Leora's body. "Leora nee-san! Let me help!"

Even though the wound in her chest was already starting to knit itself together, Leora didn't protest as the sky dragon slayer went to work on her injuries. Within minutes she felt much better than she had before.

"Now…" Natsu grinned darkly at the Garou Knights. "Show us the exit…or I'll show you my vanishing act."

The Knights quickly agreed and pointed them in the right direction. As Leora moved to follow, she couldn't help but look up at the ceiling, wondering how the dragon slayer was faring…

* * *

Realizing this was going nowhere, Laxus jumped away from Jura. Dragon scales began to cover the side of his face and along his body.

"I've seen this before," Jura commented. "Dragon force, was it. Impressive."

Laxus smirked. "You won't be seeing it much longer."

Jura's eyes widened as Laxus immediately disappeared in front of him. Only seeing flashes of the lightning mage, before he disappeared again, Jura was unprepared when a lightning blow struck him in the back, knocking him straight into the building in front of him. When he turned back around, he froze as he stared at the sight before him.

Jura had turned around just in time to catch Laxus as he jumped into the air, surrounded by lightning. But, no, it didn't seem like he was jumping anymore, it seemed as if he was hovering. His arms were held out in front of him as the lightning began to swirl and rage around his body.

Back in the stadium, watching through the lacrima screens, Makarov watched in shock.

"This attack…"

The Raijinshuu recognized it themselves as well. This attack was the same one that the dragoness had used on Laxus during their Bonding match just months ago…

Mavis did nothing but smile. The children of her guild were growing up…

Jura was unable to move, frozen in place. Somehow…he was seeing the image of an enormous amber dragon behind the lightning mage, almost as if Laxus had become one with it.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Lightning Twister!"

With a clap of Laxus' arms, the tornado of lightning rushed towards Jura. As the raging twister approached him, Jura could only let out a smile. Unable to dodge, Jura was hit straight on with the full might of a dragon.

As Jura fell to the ground, his smiled remained. "You've won."

The crowd inside the stadium roared with excitement over Laxus' defeat over one of the Ten Wizard Saints. The Raijinshuu hugged each other, while unshed tears shone in the Sixth Master's eyes. Meanwhile, Mavis looked on with a gentle smile.

Utterly exhausted, Laxus had wanted to boast of his victory to the dragoness, but it appeared that she had once again ventured far enough to be out of their communication zone. But their emotional channel was still open and he could feel her being calm again. That was enough for him.

* * *

The rescue team had walked for a while longer before they reached a large set of doors ahead of them.

Happy was excited as soon as he saw them. "It might be an exit!"

Natsu grinned. "Leave it to me!"

"Fire Dragon's…"

Before Natsu's attack hit, the doors swung open, causing Natsu to falter and trip, rolling along the ground until he made a complete stop in front of a dark hooded figure.

Leora froze as she caught the figure's scent. It was a mixture of two she was familiar with.

Lucy Heartfilia…and…

Zeref?!

It didn't take the others long to realize who the hooded figure was as soon as they removed their hood.

"Lucy?!"

The Lucy Heartfilia standing before them was practically in tears as they stood before her.

"There's…another Lucy…" Mira whispered.

"What's the meaning of this?" Wendy asked.

The new Lucy tried to explain. "You should have learned about the gates of the eclipse granting access through time…"

Leora froze. "You used the Eclipse and…"

"Came from the future," the new Lucy finished for her.

"What-?!"

Leora was left speechless. This Lucy…had used the Eclipse? That must have been why she had Zeref's scent on her. It was the scent of his magic. She had only heard a little about it throughout her travels from Zeref. He had told her it was capable of granting time travel, and that was how he was able to send his little brother, Natsu, through to this time. She hadn't believed Zeref at the start, but after seeing Natsu Dragneel in the flesh, and now this future Lucy, she couldn't help but believe in its abilities.

Future Lucy must have endured too much shock for she collapsed moments later. They knew they couldn't leave her behind so Natsu carried Future Lucy over his shoulder and they continued moving. They needed to leave the castle and send a signal, to let everyone know that they managed to save Lucy.

But somehow, now they had two Lucys on their hands.

* * *

"Damn," Natsu pouted as he looked around. It seems as if they are in some sort of fancy dining hall.

"I didn't think we'd get lost of all things…" Lucy commented.

"Screw sneaking around…" Natsu suggested. "Let's just muscle our way out of here!"

"We can't just go attacking the soldiers!" Charle scolded.

Suddenly the future Lucy came to, groaning as she sat up. "Where am I…" All eyes were immediately on her.

"Hard to say, really…" The present Lucy answered. "From the looks of things, I'd say the castle's dining facility. So…we're still inside the castle?"

Future Lucy held a hand to her head. "From what I can remember, after we escaped from the dungeon, we were recaptured by the royal army. And up until that time…we were all imprisoned..."

"If you don't mind me asking," Wendy said. "Why did you come here from the future Lucy-san?"

Future Lucy sighed. "To undo a future that had become so bleak…"

"So bleak…" Yukino repeated softly. "Just what happens in your future?"

"Ten thousand dragons will fill the sky and set the city ablaze…the castle reduced to rubble...and countless lives would be lost."

The rescue team all froze as they took in what Future Lucy had just said.

Leora stood there in complete shock. Ten thousand dragons…but that's impossible. There were no dragons left in the world, but her…

Natsu was the first to react. "Are you freaking serious?!" The fire dragon slayer immediately scrambled around attempting to gather supplies. Future Lucy was surprised that they had believed her, thinking that they would dismiss her comments as rubbish.

Meanwhile Charle still stood in the middle of the dining hall, frozen. All the dots were beginning to connect. The crumbling castle…what she thought was Lucy singing…was in fact, her hysterically screaming and crying.

But there was still one puzzle to her premonition that hasn't been solved. The blonde haired woman…running through an enormous open set of doors surrounded by a bright light…

Just what was that about?

Charle couldn't help but take another look towards the dragoness…

"When the dragons show up, what happens to those of us in the castle?" Charle asked.

Future Lucy could do nothing but stare solemnly at her lap. The others didn't need a better confirmation.

"We're all going to die?" Happy asked quietly, tears welling in his eyes.

"I can't tell you how many days passed, but when I came to," Future Lucy said. "I recalled the Eclipse. I didn't know how exactly to activate it, but before I knew it, it had opened. And now, here I am. But…I didn't come here from the future with a solution…"

Arcadios sat off to the side silently. What this Lucy was saying didn't quite match up with what his princess had told him about. About Eclipse Two...

Soon after, Future Lucy attempted to lead them through the halls of the castle, in hopes of finding them a way to escape.

"We need to find a way to notify the others!" Mira exclaimed as they continued to run.

"They must be wondering what's taking us so long…" Wendy added.

Suddenly they all heard footsteps running towards them and in moments they were surrounded by soldiers of the castle.

"Damn it!" Natsu shouted, before he turned towards Leora. "Leora! You need to get out of here and let them know we're okay!"

"But-!" Leora protested. How could she leave them at a moment like this?

"Natsu's right!" Mira exclaimed while glaring at the castle soldiers. "If anything you can bring back help. It's no use if we're all stuck here like this. Don't worry, we'll be able to handle this!"

Leora gritted her teeth, but agreed. "Alright, but you better stay alive!" She called forth her wings and flew over the soldiers. She had flown past them so fast that she was out of sight before they had the time to react.

Little did Leora know that at least one of the humans she left behind wouldn't be making it out alive that evening. And if she had stayed, there would not have been a Future Rogue to deal with later on that night.

Because if she had stayed and witnessed the death of Future Lucy, her wrath would have been returned tenfold to the one who had caused her death…

And that time…she would not have stopped.

* * *

It had taken Leora far longer than she would have liked to find her way out of the castle. In the end she opted to simply break through a window and fly out as soon as she made her way onto the upper floors. By that time, night had already fallen.

As she was flying over the city she suddenly caught the light of the Sabertooth emblem that had been shot straight into the sky. Curious she headed in that direction…

Each member of Team Fairy Tail looked up to the sky as they saw the Sabertooth emblem hovering overhead. Each one of them, exhausted and battered from their battles, limped towards the emblem, knowing that Sting Eucliffe awaited them.

When they arrived, the stood together, all five of them, facing the Sabertooth dragon slayer.

Sting stood there with a smug look on his face. "You guys have seen better days…and to think…you guys were my heroes seven years ago…"

"Quit flapping your gums," Gajeel commented, blood still trickling down the side of his mouth. "You wanted us…you got us…"

"We'll do this one by one," Gray said, determined. "Pick whoever you want."

"Please…" Sting laughed. "You're all in shambles…come at me all at once!"

Juvia narrowed her eyes. "Underestimating Fairy Tail will be your demise."

"I'd never do such a thing," Sting said. " I hold you guys in high regard. Which is why I'll crush all of you at once! This is my time to shine! To show Lector what I'm truly capable of!"

Laxus snorted. "Is this guy talking out of his ass or am I just imagining things…"

Erza took her step forward. "Have it your way. You've made your bed…" Her eyes shot forward with determination. "Prepare to lie in it…Sting!"

"That's the spirit!" Sting exclaimed. He concentrated his magic power around him, closing his eyes as it swirled around him. "I'll show you first hand…my new awakened powers…"

He opened his eyes with a laugh…but immediately froze.

The five members of Fairy Tail all stood before him, with determination in their eyes that he had never seen before. The moon stood behind them, illuminating their presence, their intensity-

Their drive.

Sting stood there and started to shake. He knew that he could easily defeat them. And once he crushed them, he'd be able to see Lector again. He was doing this for Lector! His emotions for Lector had given him newfound strength…

And yet, why couldn't he move?

Sting gritted his teeth as he willed his body to move. He was strong now…strong…

The final nail in the coffin of Sting's resolve appeared in the sky behind the five members of Fairy Tail.

She hovered their like a blonde warrior goddess, her amber wings were spread wide and her tail lazily trailing behind her. Her long blonde hair died with crimson blood flowed with the gentle breeze. She blocked the moon behind her, but even then he could make out the emblem amongst blood that covered her body.

The black with a gold shimmer evident on her right torso.

Fairy Tail.

Her sharp golden eyes stood out in the darkness and were focused only upon him. She held the same determination that could be seen amongst her comrades. He knew she wouldn't dare to impose, should he start a fight, but as he stared into her cat-like eyes, he knew he had already lost.

"I…can't do this…This is…my defeat…"

The entire crowd was shocked to silence as the watched the proud Saber fall to his knees before the five members of Fairy Tail. The lacrima cameras never picked up the dragoness in the sky, nor did the five competing members of her guild. She was there…only for Sting eyes.

The final point for Fairy Tail rose on the scoreboard, bringing Fairy Tail's final score to sixty-four. Almost instantly, the guild members of Fairy Tail burst into tears, realizing that, after seven years, they had finally won.

Seven long years.

Their suffering was over.

"There you have it!" Chapati announced with excitement. "The champions of the Grand Magic Games…"

"FAIRY TAIL!"

Fireworks and confetti immediately burst up into the sky as the crowd cheered uncontrollably. The five competitors smiled to themselves as they heard the celebrations meant for them. For Fairy Tail.

Erza walked over to Sting, who was still on his hands and knees. "Sting…why did you choose not to strike?"

"Because…then I would have never seen him again." Sting said, his body starting to shake. "I was convinced defeating all of you meant seeing him again…but I came to the realization that that wasn't true…" He looked up at all of them, and then above them, to the dragon who was still hovering in the sky. A sky that was now filled with fireworks. Her expression had now softened and she looked down upon him with a gentle smile.

"I can't put it into words really…" Sting continued, looking back down at the ground. "There's an explicable radiance about all of you…I can't wrap my fingers around it…the person I am now…I don't have the right to see him again…"

Erza let out a soft smile. "I disagree…"

Suddenly a cry rang out behind them all. "Er-chan!"

Sting looked up at the voice and froze, eyes wide. There, in Millianna's arms was…Lector!

Both exceed and slayer ran towards each other, shouting each other's names. They embraced as tears ran down their faces. The Fairy Tail team all looked on with a smile.

Laxus stiffened slightly when he heard the slight flap of wings behind him. He turned around to see the dragoness land softly on the ground, before her wings disappeared behind her. He raised his brow as she walked towards him. When had she gotten there? Was he that out of it from his battle with Jura?

He was slightly miffed when she passed by him and the rest of Team Fairy Tail with only a soft look before she went down on her knees next to Sting.

Sting looked up, tears still streaming down his face. He was still cradling Lector within his arms, when looked upon her soft golden eyes and gentle smile. By her look, he knew that no words, no apologies needed to be exchanged. He couldn't stop the tears that fell even more when he felt her hand upon his head, gently petting his hair. At that moment, with Lector in his arms he knew that everything was going to be okay.

Leora smiled gently as she comforted the young dragon slayer. She admitted that she was infuriated by him, especially by his attitude towards her guildmates and his arrogance throughout the tournament. And yet, as she knelt there by his side, she knew, that he was still young. And he had plenty of time left to grow.

After the light dragon slayer had calmed down, Leora made to stand. Turning back around she was slightly confused by the annoyed, borderline angry expression that was on the dragon slayer's face.

"What?"

That seemed to have set the dragon slayer off.

"After all that and all you can say is what?!" Laxus said, raising his voice. He didn't know where his anger was coming from. Maybe it was from when she defied his instructions and ran off, or maybe it was when she tried to lie to him, or maybe it was when she just strutted by him like he didn't exist then spent the past few minutes cozying up to that annoying Saber…

Laxus pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm himself down. "Where were you this entire time?"

"I was watching the tournament." Leora dared to reply.

Even the others had to roll their eyes at Leora's absurd comment.

"Really?" Laxus bit back. "And how did you manage to get all of this while you were 'watching the tournament'?" He pointed towards the blood all over the front of her body, most concentrated around her chest.

"Uh…" Leora's brain tried to backtrack. "I tripped remember?"

"You tripped…" Laxus repeated, his voice flat. "And what exactly did you trip on…broken glass?" The sarcasm was practically dripping down his chin by now.

"More like a scythe…" Leora whispered as she turned her head to the side.

"What?!"

By now, the rest of Fairy Tail had already started backing up from the seething lightning mage.

Leora turned back around, slightly confused. "I don't understand why you're so concerned. It was merely a flesh wound. As if I'd die from something like that."

Determination returned to her eyes as she stared up at the dragon slayer. She wasn't going to simply stand there to be scolded by him! "And what about you? How did you get all those injuries? The match should have been easy."

The other members backed up even more, eyes widening slightly…they wouldn't exactly call a confrontation with Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints an easy match…

Laxus' brow twitched at her comment. "Well if you had been watching, you would have known."

Leora paused, knowing she had been caught. But she refused to back down when the dragon slayer leaned down so that his face was at her level.

"So," Laxus started. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Leora was about to retort, but stopped when she noticed the dragon slayer wince as he moved.

She sighed. "You…" She ignored his protests, as well as the stunned looks from the other members of Team Fairy when she pushed him back to a standing form and went to work on shredding his t-shirt.

"O-Oi, Sunshine…" Laxus was slightly glad that the sky was dark enough to hide his slight blush.

"L-Leora, what are you doing?" Erza asked, her face immediately turning red. Even Gray, with his stripping habits, had flushed slightly at the dragoness' bold display.

Leora ignored that as well as she shoved the remains of the dragon slayer's t-shirt away before her hand settled on the black lightning shaped mark on his left chest. Closing her eyes, she felt for the Bond, and started transferring her power across. She had lost most of the offensive power she had regained, when she fought with the Garou Knight earlier this evening, but she should have enough energy left for her supportive powers. At least enough to heal the dragon slayer of his more extensive injuries.

The others watched with awe as Laxus' injuries began to heal.

"This is just like Wendy's magic…" Gajeel noted quietly.

Laxus looked down at the dragoness as he felt his wounds heal. Somehow, it felt like she had healed all his anger as well because he felt none of it by the time she was done. Damn dragon. Couldn't even stay angry at her for more than a minute…

He did however, glare daggers at Sting, who was also watching her with awe.

Leora removed her hand and took a step back when she was finished, admiring her handiwork.

"Here." Holding out her palm, she let it spark with what little lightning she had recovered.

Laxus' eyes widened for a moment, before he grabbed hold of her hand and began eating the lightning out of her palm.

Leora felt a little drained compared to before, but with a good night's sleep she figured she should be fine. She turned towards the others and pulled back slightly as she noticed the sparkles in their eyes as they stared at her.

Laxus noticed her change in attitude and followed her gaze.

"What?" He said to his teammates, with a mouth full of lightning. He noticed the same sparkles as well.

It was almost as if they were saying, 'When is it's my turn…'

Laxus immediately pulled the dragoness to his side with one arm, not caring that she was still covered in blood.

"Oi," Laxus said as he glared at them. "Go get your own dragon."

Laxus didn't miss the disappointed looks on their faces, but he did miss the tiny smiles they held afterwards as they watched the pair together. To them, it seemed as if the two were like a married couple. Bickering one moment, then making up in the next.

It seemed like Sting was the only one brave enough to interrupt. "Umm…"

Gajeel was on the Saber within moments. "Hey. That expression of yours is pissing me off!"

"Gajeel-kun!" Juvia scolded as she came to his side.

"But…" Sting continued. "Why didn't Natsu participate?"

As if Team Fairy Tail suddenly remembered, they all turned to Leora. The dragoness only turned towards the castle, with a slightly worried expression on her face.

"They were still okay when I left…" Leora said quietly. "We were surrounded by castle guards when they suddenly told me to run and let everyone know that they were okay. That we rescued Lucy."

The rest of the team were visibly relieved as they heard that Lucy was okay, but they stiffened slightly as they heard that they were surrounded by castle guards.

Leora couldn't brush the bad feeling she had in the back of her mind. "I should return to help." She moved towards the direction of the castle, but her legs gave way as soon as she took a step. Laxus immediately caught her before she fell to the ground.

"Oh no you don't," Laxus said as he held her to his side. "You've done enough for today."

"Laxus is right, Leora." Gray added. "We need to trust in Natsu and the others. I'm sure they'll be okay." They all looked warily towards the castle, hoping that what Gray had said remained true.

* * *

Standing silently atop the clock tower, the hooded figure watched from above with a smile as they touched their worn bracelet.

 _It's almost time._

 _Should I intervene?_

* * *

Leora was shaking by the time she finished listening to what the King of Fiore had to announce about the dragons. They had been gathered up by the central square soon after their victory, after they had cleaned and bandaged themselves up. Despite her protests, the dragon slayer had carried her here in his arms as he claimed she'd be unable to walk on her own.

Eclipse Two.

The King had tried to explain to them that the Eclipse could be used in a different fashion. That Eclipse could be used as a cannon to eliminate the ten thousand dragons that were set to arrive later that night, according to an informant. He now asked for the remaining mages to aid the capital, on the chance that some of the dragons remain alive.

The mages roared with confidence as they vowed to take on the rest of the dragons. But Leora knew that they wouldn't stand a chance even against one. She knew that with certainty…given that she used to be one of those dragons who preyed on mages. But there were other things that didn't sit right with her.

One. She was certain that no other dragons existed in this age aside from her, Rhaegal and the False Dragon King. So where would these dragons come from?

Two. She had never heard of this capability for the Eclipse to act as a cannon. And she had heard about the Eclipse from its maker himself.

These two factors had her mind spinning with worry, which the dragon slayer seemed to pick up on as he immediately held her closer and looked down upon her with a curious gaze.

She looked away from his stormy blue eyes before struggling, forcing him to place her back down on the ground.

She looked at him with determination in her eyes. "Don't follow me." Something felt really wrong about this, and she needed to figure things out on her own. Her legs had regained enough strength to move as she weaved through the crowd, ignoring the dragon slayer's shouts. She quickly slipped back on her bracelet, hiding her scent and presence from the others.

Laxus wanted to follow, but the Raijinshuu held him back.

"We need you here," Freed said. "I'm sure Leora-san can take care of herself."

Laxus gritted his teeth but they were right. He just hoped the dragoness knew what she was doing. He continued to feel for her through the Bond, making sure that she didn't get injured again.

* * *

Leora took flight as soon as she left the crowd in the center square. Flying towards the other source of the scent of Zeref's magic, she found herself heading back towards the castle. The Eclipse must be somewhere there.

However, Leora immediately paused mid-air as she saw a hooded figure standing on a roof-top directly in front of her. Taking a quick sniff, she came to the quick realization that the figure had no scent, nor a presence. Curious, she landed on the roof in front of her and froze as soon as she caught the figure's face.

"You!"

Smiling, the figure slowly removed their dark hood, revealing long blonde hair that draped around their shoulders. Soft golden eyes with cat-like pupils stared back at her. Eyes that were just like hers…

But how?...

Just like Future Lucy, did she come from the future?

Taking a better look at her counterpart, Leora noticed that while her appearance seemed almost the same, her eyes appeared to have seen and experienced much more. Somehow it made her look slightly aged…

A familiar bracelet upon her counterpart's wrist caught Leora's eye. It was just like the one she owned, except…it seemed much more worn. Just how far from the future had she come?

Her counterpart gave her a gentle knowing smile, one that seemed unfamiliar to her.

"Let go of the past…and live for the present," her counterpart said softly, before she started disappearing in a field of sparks.

"W-Wait!" Leora shouted, but it was too late. She disappeared without a trace. She stood there completely stunned. What was she doing here? Why now?

What is going on?

She stayed on the rooftop for a moment longer before she remembered what she needed to do. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she tried to put her other self in the back of her head as she headed towards the castle.

Back on the clock tower, the hooded figure watched as the dragoness flew towards the Eclipse. She wasn't sure if what she did was correct, but it had felt right.

 _What choices will you make now?_

* * *

By the time Leora arrived at the Eclipse, the doors were already wide open, a bright light shining from the other side. She quickly looked around, noting that Lucy, Wendy, Mira and the exceeds were here, along with the Saber woman. There were others around but she didn't care for them. She was just glad that her guildmates were safe.

But her attention was quickly brought back towards the Eclipse as she suddenly froze. As she looked through the doors, she knew she could see things the others could not. She knew that she could stop everything now if she had said a word. A warning.

But she didn't.

She let herself be selfish.

All because, for the longest time…

She had just wanted to see another dragon.

Leora ignored the shouting around her as Lucy attempted to close the doors. But she did hear something that she had already confirmed with her very eyes.

"That door is connected to…four hundred years in the past!" Lucy shouted with panic.

That's right. Four hundred years in the past. Right in the middle of the Great Civil War…

Moments later, Leora closed her eyes, relishing in the sound of a dragon's roar as it entered into her time through the Eclipse. Its roar shook the foundations of everything around her even as she stood in front of the gate with everyone else. But she remained firm. With one strike of its claw, an entire neighbourhood of houses were destroyed. But she remained firm. One by one, dragons came through the twin doors until seven had passed her by.

But she remained firm.

Leora remained ignorant to the struggles around her as the rest of them tried to close the doors to the Eclipse. Due to the full moon on this very night, the magic contained within the gate was running rampant, making it much more difficult to close.

Suddenly, Lucy and Yukino joined together, using their twelve zodiac keys to seal the door.

"Open! Twelve Gates of the Zodiac!"

The twelve celestial spirits shot forward from the two celestial mages and began to push against the twin doors, the brightness of their power blinding the area around them.

The sight of the celestial spirits seemed to have snapped Leora from her daze. She watched with panic as the doors began to close.

Doors which connected to four hundred years in the past.

Four hundred years…

Her legs seemed to move on their own, placing one foot in front of the other, as she started to run desperately towards the door. The lights from the celestial spirits were blinding as she ran forward. Stumbling over her own two feet, all Leora could think of was what was on the other side of the door.

 _Father…_

 _Mother…_

Under her feet, she barely registered as stone quickly turned into grass…

Charle froze in terror.

 _A woman...with long blonde hair flowing behind her...running desperately through the enormous open set of doors that belonged to the Eclipse...as she was surrounded by a bright light..._

Her final premonition was coming to light right before her eyes.

Charle cried out, just as the others realized what was happening.

"Leora no!"

The twin doors of the Eclipse closed with a loud rumble, the twelve celestial spirits of the Zodiac having finally accomplished their task. While the castle guards celebrated, those of Fairy Tail simply stared at the doors in horror, with fresh tears streaming down their faces.

The dragoness was nowhere in sight.

* * *

 _ **A/N. I feel kinda bad for leaving the chapter off like this, but it was the perfect place to stop. How would Laxus react when he finds out?!**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_

 _ **P.S. Someone asked about this, but I usually try to keep everyone else's attacks canon (except Laxus' obviously), so I apologize if I accidentally get one or two of them wrong. It's not intentional. :P**_


	20. Arc II-20: Let go

**Chapter 20**

She stood on the top of the clock tower as she watched the doors of the Eclipse close with her younger self on the other side. All around her, dragons raged as they wreaked havoc upon the town of Crocus. Buildings collapsed and debris fell, but she paid them no mind, only focusing on what was happening in that courtyard.

It has been a long life that she has lived. She had made her own choice back then and had lived with the consequences until now.

On this same day, four hundred years ago for her, she had lived through this same moment, running through the doors of the Eclipse. Once on the other side, she made her choice, choosing to ignore everything around her. She had remained trapped on the other side, but at that moment, she didn't care as she flew across the battlefield to find her father. She had wanted to help him, to save him, but she was once again frozen as the black menace flew overhead and stuck her father down. She was a coward, hiding behind the tree line as she rewatched what was already etched into her mind.

Guess she wasn't able to alter fate after all.

After that she roamed the rest of the years alone. She had watched as her younger self was taken and learned about her mother's demise during the years she had been held captive. But she hadn't dared to interfere as she knew deep down that it was because of her past that she was able to meet Mavis, Yuri and later on…Laxus.

And so she relived each and every death she experienced up until this very point in time.

When everything had started.

As chaos reigned around her, her thoughts remained calm. She had already made up her mind long ago as to what she would do, if her younger self had made the same choices she had. She made up her mind to leave this place…to leave Fairy Tail…to leave the dragon slayer as soon as the decision was made. She would live out the rest of her days in solitude, fulfilling her goals on her own. She realized after the second round that she refused to live through the deaths of her comrades once again.

This way was safer for her.

For her heart.

 _What would you choose?_

* * *

Laxus was fighting the flaming dragon, Atlas Flame, when he felt every single emotion that went through Leora's heart before everything went silent.

Shock. Familiarity. Panic. Desperation. Longing.

And then there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Laxus hadn't felt that disconnected from dragoness since before they had been Bonded.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

His heart beated uncontrollably as he tried to reach for her, but he could no longer feel her presence. Cursing he tried to think of where she could be before he remembered.

The Eclipse.

Running as fast as he could, ignoring the protests of the Raijinshuu behind him, he made his way towards where the dragons had entered.

Where he hoped _his_ dragon would be.

* * *

Leora looked around in shock as she stepped into the other side of the gate. She faintly noticed the doors closing around her, but her mind was focused on what was in front of her. This image before her, was so familiar to her it hurt.

She would have admired the clear skies and the grass filled meadow she found herself in were it not for the smoke and fire surrounding the battlefield in the valley in front of her. Thousands of dragons flew overhead as they clashed in battle, roars of pain and victory reaching her ears as she merely stood there, stunned.

She stepped forward, knowing what she would find if she were to head down into the valley below, but a single voice had her freezing in her tracks.

His voice was calm and soothing. "I came to investigate the odd signatures coming from my Eclipse, but I did not think I would find someone like you here."

Her eyes landed upon the dark haired man who had walked up from the valley below. Standing before her, Leora could only gasp as she quickly recognized the Black mage.

"Zeref." It had been so long since she had last seen him. She didn't notice the moisture gathering in her eyes.

She missed him.

The Black mage tilted his head in slight confusion. "You know of me?"

Leora furrowed her brow before remembering that she was in a time before she had met Zeref.

"Ah," Zeref noted knowingly. "Perhaps from a different time?"

Leora nodded slowly as she addressed this Zeref before her. "Y-Yes."

"Why did you come here?" Zeref asked. Leora couldn't help, but notice that this Zeref looked and sounded no different than the one she knew herself. His voice was still as soothing as she remembered.

"To see my father and my mother once again," Leora whispered. As soon as she heard that the gate connected to a time four hundred years in the past, that was all she could think of. It was a way to correct the mistakes of her past. To save her father from her stupidity.

Zeref's lips flattened. "Are you sure that is wise?"

"What do you mean?"

"Everything happens for a reason, little lady," Zeref said cryptically. "To tempt with fate is to tempt the Gods themselves. And the Gods don't like to be tempted."

* * *

By the time Laxus made it to the Eclipse, the others were already fighting the jade dragon, Zirconis. The same dragon he saw just nights before.

But he wasn't focused on that.

Running into the courtyard, he shouted. "Where is she?!" He knew she was here, even though he wasn't able to catch her scent anywhere. He just knew.

By the looks of the faces that turned towards him with sadness and dread, he knew something had gone wrong.

"Where is she?!" Laxus bellowed as he looked around in panic.

Mira came up to him with a tear stained face. "S-She…She ran inside."

"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked through gritted teeth. That's impossible she couldn't have…

"Leora ran inside the Eclipse gate to the other side!" Charle shouted in frustration. Frustration at herself because she didn't catch this sooner. Because she didn't trust her instincts that the blonde haired woman was really the dragoness all along. "She's four hundred years in the past now…"

"Impossible…" Laxus whispered, his knees suddenly feeling weak. "You're lying…" She couldn't be on the other side.

Mira placed a hand on his arm, her voice choking up. "I'm sorry…Laxus."

Laxus felt his legs carry him towards the heavy doors to the Eclipse. Staring up at the massive monstrosity that stood between him and Leora, he finally let reality sink in.

She was gone.

Cursing as he sank to his knees, Laxus slammed a lightning infused fist against the gate in anger. How could she do this to him? How could she just leave like that?!

Behind him he could hear Mira's sobbing. "We're so sorry Laxus…we should have stopped her…"

Laxus growled, his rage and frustration clashing inside of him. He continued to slam his fists against the door until they began to bleed. He didn't stop until Mira grabbed hold of his wrists, crying at him to stop.

* * *

Leora continued to argue with Zeref as she stood only a couple of feet from the doors to the Eclipse.

"But!"

Zeref cut her off. "There is someone waiting for you on the other side is there not?"

Leora paused. "What-?"

"On the other side of this gate," Zeref continued. "There are others waiting for you, are there not? Others who would be deeply saddened by your departure."

Leora's eyes suddenly widened. In her desperation to see her parents and her kin again she had forgotten all about the others. Mavis…Fairy Tail…the dragon slayer…

She turned back towards the gate with conflicted emotions, placing one palm against the doors before she turned around and leaned against it.

If she stayed here…she wouldn't be able to see them again for four hundred years…

Zeref gave her a gentle smile, "Let go of the past…and live for the present…little one."

* * *

Laxus' head pounded as he remained leaning against the Eclipse gate. Mira had tried to get him to move away from the doors, but he refused, shoving her aside. Even the Raijinshuu, who had arrived soon after, were unable to get Laxus to move. Anger and frustration still ran through his veins. How dare she just leave him like that? How dare she just run through?! She had a duty!

To Fairy Tail!

To him…

!

Suddenly he felt a slight pulse from the Bond. It was minute, but…he could feel her. Through the doors…he could feel her presence!

Grabbing hold of slight connection he had, he pushed his voice through with all his might.

 _Sunshine!_

 _Sunshine!_

"Leora!"

* * *

Leora stood there eyes wide as she heard the familiar phrase through Zeref's voice.

 _Let go of the past and live for the present_.

That was what her future counterpart had told her.

Her future counterpart…

Leora closed her eyes as realization hit her. Her counterpart didn't come to the present from the future…she had lived alongside her this entire time. She had done the same thing as she just did four hundred years ago. But why didn't she do anything?

"The past shouldn't be meddled with," Zeref said as if he knew what she was thinking about. "You should return."

" _Let go of the past…and live for the present."_

Her own voice resonated through her mind as she leaned against the cold metal doors of the Eclipse. She didn't get what those words meant at first, but now she was starting to understand. She was telling herself to let all of this go…

 _Sunshine…_

Huh?

 _Sunshine…!_

Was someone calling for her? Why was that voice so familiar?!

 _Leora!_

Laxus couldn't hold back the wave of relief he felt when he heard her voice once again.

 _Dragon slayer?..._

Leora was lost. How was it that the dragon slayer could communicate with her? They were hundreds of years away from one another…

 _Goddammit Sunshine! You better drag your ass back over here!_

Leora couldn't hold back her bark of laughter, causing Zeref to look at her curiously. The first thing he would do, would be to scold her. But her mood sobered up quickly as she realized her position.

 _The door is closed…_

 _You think I don't know that?! Grr…Why did you even run off like that in the first place?!_

Leora's eyes widened as she once again was reminded of why she was here.

 _I just wanted to see them again…my family…that's right. I need to go…_

Remember her purpose, she started to move away from the door. On the other side, Laxus started to panic when he felt his connection slipping.

 _Sunshine! Don't you dare move away from the door! Your family is here! On this side of the Eclipse!_

Leora closed her eyes, trying to drown out what the dragon slayer was saying next.

 _Whatever is in front of you is in your past! We're your present now! Fairy Tail! And god you have no idea how much we need you right now!_

Leora tried to shake away the words within her mind. She had the chance to change her past, the chance to change everything. The chance to change who she was…

Her back left the door, leaving only her palms resting against the cold metal. She heard the desperation in his voice.

 _LEORA!_

* * *

She watched intently as the dragon slayer plastered himself to the Eclipse, in hopes of gaining a better connection to her younger self. She remembered this exact moment, but she had been on the other side. She knew what she had done. She had ignored his pleas and continued to move forward, leaving the Eclipse behind her and losing the connection between them.

After that moment, she had lost the feeling in her Bond forever…

 _What choice will you make?_

* * *

 _LEORA!_

The dragon slayer's voice rang loudly inside her head. Leora was about to remove her hands from the door, but suddenly her own voice echoed inside her mind.

 _Let go of the past and live for the present_.

Leora gritted her teeth as her mind fought within herself. She knew this was her past…she knew that, but her present…

Various images began to cross her mind.

Mavis and the Sixth Master smiling at her. Levy's blushing face, Natsu fierce gaze, Lucy's bright smile, Gray's smirk, Erza's confident aura…

And the dragon slayer, holding out his hand to her…

Her present.

She hadn't noticed when Zeref had come closer, standing only a foot in front of her. "Let go, little one…"

Somehow, she felt the dragon slayer's presence wrap around her, and in that moment, she decided.

Leora clenched her fists and gave the scene before her one last hard look before she turned around, facing the door and resting her forehead on the cold metal. Her eyes squeezed shut.

 _I want to come home._

* * *

Laxus let go of the breath he was holding. The roars, the screams, the cries around him were all secondary to him as he made his next move. He screamed out to the heavens in hopes they would heed his wish.

 _I call to the light and the skies as the Knight of the Great Thunder Dragon._

The sky above him started to rumble with the sound of thunder.

 _In my time of need, I summon thee to my side._

He felt her answering his call from the other side of the door, but it wasn't enough. Sparks started to surround the Eclipse as he forced as much of his magic to pull the dragoness back to him.

 _Please come back._

 _I SUMMON THEE!_

* * *

Leora breathed heavily as she felt dancing arcs of lightning surrounding her body. Lightning that didn't belong to her. Suddenly she panicked, turning back around, plastering her back against the door.

There was one last thing she had to do.

She didn't have much time.

As she felt her physical presence wavering, dissipating into sparks, she called out to the one that was already turning back to leave.

"Zeref!"

The Black Mage turned back around with an unreadable expression on his face.

Leora spoke fast. "One hundred years from now, in a dungeon west of here, you'll find a little blonde girl. Save her, and she will be loyal to you for the rest of her life. Free her, and she will fulfill your deepest desires."

There was not much of her left anymore on this side, lightning quickly swallowed her up.

"What is her name?" Zeref asked.

Leora opened her mouth to speak.

Zeref turned around with a small smile on his face as he caught the name before the time-traveler returned to her time.

Interesting indeed.

* * *

 _There are walls that cannot be broken through power alone._

 _However, if a power existed that could tear down those walls…_

 _It would be the power of feelings._

Her long blonde hair flowing in the wind, she smiled to herself as she watched the Eclipse gate spark with lightning. She looked down upon her own body to find it slowly turning into sparks as well. She reached down to fondly touch the worn bracelet around her wrist. For just a brief moment, she once again felt the strong pull of the Bond within her and her smile showed peace…

Just before she disappeared into the wind…

Forever.

A large hooded cloak and a small worn bracelet fell to the ground.

 _You made your choice._

* * *

Laxus fueled as much of his magic power into the Bond as he pulled with all his might. The Eclipse gate was surrounded by a raging force of lightning, shaking it to its very foundations. Moments later, Laxus gasped as he saw the silhouette of the dragoness formed from lightning as she hovered in front of the gate. Slowly, lightning turned into flesh and soon Laxus gazed upon Leora's body as she was slowly lowered onto the ground near him. Her blonde hair caressed her pale flesh as she lay on the ground, unconscious.

All around him, he heard gasps and choked cries.

"Leora…"

He had done it. She was back.

Laxus quickly scrambled over to her body, trying to make sure she was alive. He cradled her unconscious body to his own and let out the breath he had been holding when he sensed her heartbeat.

She was alive.

He didn't get to remain there for long as suddenly, Wendy's scream brought him back to reality.

"You little brat!" Zirconis shouted. "I'm going to devour you first!"

The reality that there were still seven dragons tearing up the city.

Laxus gritted his teeth, before placing Leora back onto the ground and running towards Wendy. That Zirconis dragon was about to snap her up in his jaws. He couldn't let that happen. He didn't quite register how heavy his legs felt and how drained his magic was until he pushed Wendy aside and stood before the dragon jaws.

Damn it.

He didn't have the energy anymore to move.

* * *

Leora slowly came to, in response to the screaming around her. Her vision starting to focus, she pushed herself up onto her hands just as she saw the dragon slayer running towards Wendy. She watched as he pushed Wendy away and placed himself in front of the jade dragon. Her eyes widened in realization and she tried to push forward to help him as he remained unmoving in front of Zirconis' open jaws, but her limbs wouldn't move.

She could only scream. "LAXUS!"

In the last moment, his stormy blue eyes connected with hers just as one lone tear streamed down her face.

Horrified, she could do nothing but watch as Zirconis' fangs snapped into Laxus' body before flinging him across the courtyard. Everyone around them shouted in horror. Mira and the Raijinshuu attempted to run towards him, but Leora made it there first, falling to her knees next to his battered body.

"Laxus!" Leora shouted, but there was no response. His eyes were closed and his face was covered in blood. "Laxus!" There so much of his blood, everywhere. She had never been repulsed by human blood before, but right now she wanted to puke. She immediately located the black lightning mark that was still intact on the left side of his chest, and placed her hand upon it, trying to channel as much of whatever power she had left.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Leora screamed in frustration. But it was no use.

The wound was fatal. No level of sky magic could heal a fatal wound.

She beat her weak fists against what was left of his chest as she hung her head in defeat. Slowly she felt as his heart beat weakened, until there was no sound left.

"Baka dragon slayer…"

She had failed him. After all she had said about wanting to come home. About wanting to live for her present. Was this what she came back to?

This wasn't the present she wanted.

If only she could go back in time and change everything.

"BAKA-"

* * *

Leora slowly came to in response to the screaming around her. Her vision starting to focus, she pushed herself up just as she saw Laxus running towards Wendy.

Wait. Why was this image so familiar to her?

And just like that, the next minute flashed before her eyes. She lifted her hand to her cheek, but her skin was dry, as if she never shed that tear.

What just happened?

Leora didn't have much time to think as the same scene started to replay before her eyes.

No she couldn't let that happen again. She had to do something.

She gathered as much strength as she could just as Zirconis' jaws moved towards Laxus…

"ZIRCONIS!" Leora bellowed with all her might. She breathed heavily in relief as the jade dragon shifted his attention towards her, effectively moving him away from Laxus.

"Ohh! Another woman to devour. That's right I don't really like the taste of men." Zirconis turned his body towards Leora. "And she's already devoid of clothing and ready to eat! How perfect!"

"Are you insane!" Laxus shouted angrily from where he was on the ground. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Leora gritted her teeth, her legs unsteady, as she slowly rose to her feet. "Saving you." She stared straight into Zirconis' eyes just as his jaws moved towards her.

Laxus' heart skipped a beat as he watched the jade dragon move towards Leora. Damn it! He just spent all of his magic power sending her back here. He wasn't about to lose her to another goddamn dragon! "Leora move!"

Leora stayed firm even as Zirconis' fangs reached within a foot of her body. Her eyes narrowed as she stared straight at him and her voice dropped an octave.

"Stand down."

Zirconis' snarled. "What did you say little woman?"

"I said," Leora stood even higher, her arms wide in defiance. "Stand down Zirconis!"

"Who are you to order me aroun-" Zirconis stopped and sniffed Leora before his head recoiled in surprise. "Hime-sama?!"

And of course, in plain Zirconis fashion, he wouldn't stop rambling afterwards. "What do you think you are doing here young hatchling? Wait…aren't you supposed to be this tiny?" Zirconis lifted a claw slightly above the ground to where a child's height would've been.

Leora growled in frustration. "That's beside the point! Zirconis I order you to stand dow-"

"Hime-sama," Zirconis cut her off, his voice lowering, growing serious. "You seem to have forgotten which side of the war we are on. Mowing down humans is our job and subsequently my joy."

"It's not mine anymore," Leora pointed out, her voice gaining strength.

At that moment, Zirconis seemed to notice something on Leora's chest, sending him into a rage.

"Hime-sama! How could you allow yourself to be bound to a human?!" Zirconis roared. He had noticed the lightning shaped mark on her chest, instantly understanding what it was. He had seen many of those on the battlefield…but they were his enemies. His King's enemies. And they should have been his Princess's enemies as well. "Where is it? Where is that insolent human whom you've bound yourself to?!"

Zirconis turned around furiously until his eyes landed upon Laxus, whose upper body was still bared open, the lightning shaped mark just as prominent on his chest as well. Zirconis moved towards the human, but was stopped by his Hime's voice.

"Don't you dare," Leora growled, the hidden threat dripping from her voice. "The only one who can kill that idiot…is me."

Laxus glared at the dragoness, but made no move to retort.

Leora continued. "I bound myself to him…to become stronger." And she had felt stronger. Within the stadium just days before, she had felt the potential. The potential to stretch beyond the limits of her body alone. And she needed to become stronger….

"This is nonsense!" Zirconis roared in frustration. "What would your father say?"

"Father is not here anymore!" Leora cried out. Her head hung forward, her bangs covering her face as she stood there, breathing heavily. Suddenly, the skies darkened even further, as thunder clouds covered even the light of the moon and the stars. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning streaked across the sky.

Laxus watched in awe as dark amber scales began to cover the dragoness' naked body. Her wings spread out behind her and her tail hung by her side. What is going on?

"I'm not your Hime-sama anymore…" Leora's voice dropped an octave. "The Thunder King of this era…is me."

Zirconis' eyes widened, but then he growled. "Why are you protecting these humans? They are pathetic creatures."

"You're right. They are pathetic," Leora breathed heavily. "-weak, fragile and have life spans that pass in the blink of an eye. They complain about the most stupid issues and fight over the most random disputes."

She stood slightly taller. "But, their strength comes in companionship, in trust, in feeling for one another. By placing their life in the hands of others, they grow stronger, with the need to protect. And in that moment, they are even stronger than I am."

"So you ask me why I'm protecting these pathetic humans." Her hands gripped into fists, her claws digging into her palms and drawing blood. "Because…" She looked all around her, taking in the shocked faces of her guildmates, tears gathering in their eyes. All around them, chaos ensued, fires burned and buildings crumbled. But all she pictured were their smiles and their laughter…their times together in guild. For some unfathomable reason, they had accepted her into their lives. And it was time for her to repay the favour.

Above all the destruction, Mavis hovered in the air, watching the dragoness below.

 _Show me the power of your feelings…Leora._

For the longest time, Leora had thought that she needed to get stronger simply because she needed to gain revenge. But now…she wanted to be strong…

So that she can protect the one's around her.

"Because…while I may not be a mage of Fairy Tail…I am most certainly a dragon of Fairy Tail!" Leora roared, her voice resonating throughout the courtyard. "And they are my nakama!"

Laxus' breath caught as he was struck by what she had said. Nakama…she had finally acknowledged all of them as her nakama…

Then, Laxus was hit by a huge wave of raw power…and it had no intention of decreasing. The dark amber scales continued to climb up Leora's torso and around her chest and it didn't take long before her entire body was covered. Pulse after pulse he felt her power rising. Electricity gathered around the dragoness in a sparking storm.

Laxus watched as her fangs elongated. Leora was quickly losing her humanoid form and becoming what she truly was. A dragon. Her body grew taller and wider as her head formed into the dragonoid shape he had seen before.

But that was impossible, she had run out of power. And he didn't call for another release through the Bond…

Was she transforming solely on pure will?!

Leora's growls grew stronger as her body increased in size. Laxus was at a loss. Back in the stadium, he wasn't able to see her transformation when he called for her release. But, now, it was mesmerizing. When it all stopped, Laxus was shocked.

The last time, Leora stood almost the size of Domus Flau in her true dragon form. But now…she was almost twice the size.

Was this her true form?

A loud roar resonated throughout the entire city, shaking the city to its foundations.

Zirconis backed up in slight fear. The Princess…was near the size of the King. How was this possible?

"Hime-sama…"

Leora didn't know what was happening. She just knew that she needed to protect those around her. At that realization, her connection with nature seemed to have been restored, filling her with insane amounts of power. With all her might she returned to her true form, all on her own. And right now…she felt powerful.

* * *

Flying overhead on the back of massive dragon, Future Rogue looked shocked after realizing another dragon had appeared in the city.

"Motherglare."

Obeying his master, the massive dragon flew towards the direction of the Eclipse.

Leora looked up and growled at their new visitor. "Leave." Her large amber tail swept to the side in displeasure.

Future Rogue only laughed. "I wouldn't mind adding another dragon to my collection." Concentrating his magic, Future Rogue attempted to cast his dragon supremacy magic on the lightning dragon.

Laxus felt something pushing against the Bond, as if it wanted to break it apart. Panicking he glanced towards Leora, but she only seemed to be amused.

"You're a fool," Leora smirked, revealing her large sharp fangs. "My soul already belongs to another. Your pitiful magic won't be strong enough to break it."

Even though he knew she didn't mean much by it, Laxus' heart skipped a beat after he heard her words. Her soul belonged to another…that's right. She belonged to him. As if he was going to let her get controlled by some psycho maniac.

He felt the Bond between them strengthening again.

"Fool!" Motherglare shouted, before trying to run. "That's a Great Dragon, your magic won't work on her!"

"What?!" Future Rogue growled.

Leora's jaws opened wide and she began gathering lightning within them. Moments later a blast of lightning struck directly into Motherglare, sending him and Future Rogue further back into the sky in a roar of pain. She moved to follow, but a flash of red crossed through the sky.

"Natsu."

The fire dragon slayer was riding atop a dragon encompassed in flame. "Woah Leora! Did you get bigger?!"

The fire dragon seemed to take interest in the lightning dragoness, having realized who she was by her scent. His laughter booming out, he had to stop and comment. "A daughter of Raiden…standing up for humans?! Now that is something you don't see everyday."

Leora glared at the fire dragon. He must have been one of her father's enemies. But it was true, four hundred years ago, she would have laughed just as loudly if someone were to tell her that she would be standing with the humans. She took a quick glance at Laxus who was still on the ground next to Wendy before glancing back up at the dragon. "Times have changed. I am not my father."

Atlas Flame gave her a smile. "Indeed. Now son of Igneel, don't we have more pressing matters?"

"Ah that's right!" Natsu exclaimed. "Leora, I'll leave this ugly green one for you. Motherglare and Rogue are mine!"

Leora didn't even have the chance to protest as the pair immediately flew off in the direction that she had sent the annoying human and Motherglare just moments before. Turning back towards Zirconis, who seemed offended at being called the 'ugly green one', she growled.

Despite, seeing Leora's lightning roar, Zirconis refused to back down, wanting to test the strength of the Princess for himself. Letting out a loud roar of his own, he prepared for battle.

Noticing all the humans still gathered in the courtyard, Leora called out to her nakama.

"Laxus, Raijinshuu. Get the others out of here." Leora's massive body sparked with lightning. "It's about to get messy."

Although slightly unwilling, Laxus helped the Raijinshuu gather up whoever else was in the area and led them to safety. Though safety was an overrated word, since Motherglare's hatchlings were still surrounding them.

"Are you sure you still want to do this, Hime?" Zirconis growled.

Leora snarled, her fangs glinting in the light of the flames surrounding them. "I won't let you touch them."

"Then for the sake of your father, I will teach you a lesson."

Zirconis flew forward, slamming Leora into a nearby building. The structure collapsed under its weight, debris falling to the ground, but Leora was unscathed as she pushed back before sending another roar into Zirconis' body. Zirconis was blasted backwards, but came to a stop after grinding his claws into the concrete. Leora moved to attack, but a flash of lightning had her pausing.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

Immediately, Leora looked back to where the blast of lightning had come from, spotting the dragon slayer nearby.

 _How did you-?_

She caught his smirk.

 _You're lightning is striking down everywhere. You didn't think I'd stop to grab a snack before coming?_

Leora growled, facing Zirconis again who was already recovered from being struck.

 _You should be with the others._

Laxus glared up at his stubborn dragon. Trying to do everything by herself again. When will she learn?

 _I do recall someone saying that their soul belonged to me. Gotta protect what's mine, don't I?_

Laxus didn't exactly know what had compelled him to say that, but her reaction was amusing enough.

 _I-I said that in the spur of the moment! I do NOT belong to you._

Laxus could practically see her scales quivering. He laughed.

 _Too late Sunshine. I already heard ya._

 _E-Enough. We have more important things at hand._

Laxus focused his attention back on the jade dragon, who was preparing a roar of his own.

 _You're right. Let's do this._

Zirconis' roar came straight for them. Leora moved to block, absorbing the blunt of the blow with one wing. Immediately, Laxus sprang into action, leaping over the dragoness and coming down with fists enveloped by lightning.

"Lightning Dragon's Jaw!"

The impact sent Zirconis straight into the earth, creating a large crater in the ground below. Zirconis returned to his feet, slightly injured, before taking to the skies.

"He's running away," Laxus growled.

Leora narrowed her eyes, before flapping her wings to follow. However, she paused when she felt something on her back.

 _What are you doing?!_

Laxus raised a brow.

 _What are you talking about?_

Steam huffed from Leora's nostrils.

 _You can't just climb on like that!_

Laxus, on the other hand, had already grabbed hold, prepared for flight.

 _Why not? If Natsu can do it with his dragon, then I can sure do it with mine! Hurry up, Sunshine. We need to catch him before he gets away._

Leora growled in frustration. To bear her back to another involves a great deal of trust. Even the Knights of old spent dubious amounts of time training with their dragons, before they trusted them enough to allow their dragon slayers to ride them. This... Leora turned her head around and caught the determined expression on Laxus' face.

Gritting her teeth, she admitted something she had already realized before.

She trusted the idiotic dragon slayer.

Probably trusted him with her life.

Letting out another sigh, Leora took flight, flying straight upwards with determination. _Hold on._ Given her speed, they caught up to Zirconis in no time. When they reached him, Leora's claws dug into Zirconis' shoulders, eliciting a roar of pain from the jade dragon.

"Stand down, Zirconis," Leora commanded. She had hoped the dragon would listen to her command. Deep down, she still held respect for the jade dragon. He was one of her father's trusted advisors. He was also the one who saved her on that tragic day…

But she knew first hand that dragons were stubborn creatures.

"Hime-sama. Stop this nonsense!" Zirconis roared.

Leora growled. "Why won't you understand?!" Digging her claws in further, Leora used all her might to throw the massive jade dragon back towards the ground. As he fell, Leora dived down to follow.

 _Laxus!_

The lightning dragon slayer nodded in understanding. A loud clap of thunder filled the skies as Laxus' arms raised to his sides for the second time on this very long day. Lightning gathered around both dragon and slayer, swirling angrily as they continued their dive.

Zirconis looked up in shock as he fell towards the ground. Before him he saw the determined looks of his Princess, the dragon slayer…and the image of the Great Thunder King within him. The massive dragon, having become one with the dragon slayer, roared in might.

"Ou-sama…"

As they were nearing the ground, Laxus leapt off Leora's back, clapping his arms together.

"Lightning Dragon Knight's Twister!"

The tornado of lightning swirled ahead of the dragoness, but she tucked her wings and limbs within herself and entered the twister. Following the flow, the dragoness began to spin, at a speed faster than the eye could see. The twister grew with the combined power of her lightning and Laxus' magic, spinning towards Zirconis at insane speeds.

The ground shook as the impact caused the entire courtyard to level. Sparks flew and electricity arced in the air as the dust began to settle.

There, on top of Zirconis' chest, stood the dragoness, having returned to her humanoid form. Her long blonde hair billowed in wind as she stood on top of the defeated dragon.

Defeated, but still alive.

"Do you submit? Zirconis?" Leora asked softly.

Zirconis stared towards the sky, watching the thunderclouds recede, revealing the light of the full moon once again. He chuckled. "After that performance, how could I not?"

Zirconis turned his head, his eyes catching those of the dragon slayer who glared at him with mistrust. He scoffed before turning his head back up towards his Princess, who had fallen to her knees on his chest. "I can see why you have taken that human as a pet." He hated to admit it, but for a moment there he had seen the King's power within that man. He had potential. Enough potential to protect his Princess.

The sound of Leora's laughter sounded out of place amidst all the continued chaos around them. But she paid it no mind. "He's not a pet." A contemplative look showed on her face. "Well…"

"Oi!" Laxus complained from the side where he had landed. He was definitely no one's pet.

Zirconis' laughter was booming. He reached a hand up to pet the dragoness, though given her current size, it swamped her, pressing the dragoness firmly to his chest.

For a moment, Leora forgot where they were. For that moment she was taken back to when she was young. To when she used to climb on top of Zirconis like this as well, begging him to take her on a ride when her wings were not yet strong enough to allow her flight. He had laughed and petted her like this as well.

It was a feeling she had long forgotten.

Suddenly, a large ball of fire approached them, illuminating the sky. Leora immediately pushed aside Zirconis' claw and looked to the sky.

Leora gasped. Moments. It only took moments for everything to change.

The ball of flame consisting of Natsu, Future Rogue and Motherglare came crashing down from the sky…

And straight into the Eclipse gates behind her. In one giant collision, the Eclipse was destroyed. Future Rogue and Motherglare laid there on the ground, defeated, while Natsu stood over him, victorious. Atlas Flame remained watching in the sky.

All around her there were immediate cheers of relief.

"The gate is broken!" Lucy shouted happily. It was the one way that that things could go back to normal. Their entire group ran back as soon as Leora's fight with the jade dragon had been over. They had been attempting to break down the Eclipse, but nothing had worked. Until Natsu fell out of the sky.

The gate is broken…Leora turned towards the Eclipse, staring at its ruins. It was broken. Her one way to go back…was gone.

Laxus held a hand to his chest as he felt a sharp pain flow through the Bond. He looked at the dragoness with an unreadable expression. He could feel her longing, her sorrow that the gate had been broken, but surprisingly there was no regret.

"What happens now?" Mira asked.

"History…will rewind," Charle answered.

Suddenly, the bodies of the dragons began to glow.

Atlas Flame was still in the sky, but his body too began to glow with a strange light. "It appears, I must return. To my own time."

Leora's eyes widened in shock before she looked down at Zirconis. As expected, his body was now surrounded by the light and growing transparent.

"Wait!" Leora shouted desperately. "You can't go!"

Zirconis looked up at her with a smile. "I'm afraid I don't have a choice…Ou-sama." In this time, she was his King now. She had changed so much in so little time.

His little Princess had grown up.

"No! Don't go!" Leora cried. She looked around wildly, watching as one by one the dragons around her disappeared. "No…"

Zirconis' body began to disappear. With his final words, he bid goodbye to the dragoness.

"Your father…would be proud…Leora-sama."

And with a bright sparkle, Zirconis' body disappeared.

"No!" Leora cried out. As Zirconis' body had disappeared, Leora fell to the ground, landing on her hands and knees. Her breathing was erratic, her mind still in shock that the dragons had disappeared so quickly.

Leora let out a choked cry. "Again…I'm all alone again…"

A pair of feet stopped in front of her. "What nonsense are you sprouting, Sunshine? We're all here."

Leora sat back on her heels, her head lifting up to see the dragon slayer standing before her. Glancing around, she saw the Fairy Tail mages all looking at her with encouraging smiles on their faces.

Mavis soft voice reached her ears, "You're not alone."

The First Master stood with the rest of them, looking on with a gentle smile.

Leora sniffed and looked up at Laxus once again. He had grabbed his coat and draped it around her naked body. For some reason, that action had finally broken the flood gates.

A loud, painful wail filled the air. Her head tilted towards the sky, tears began streaming down her face as she cried for the first time in what felt like forever.

The rest of Fairy Tail looked on with light sorrow, unsure of what to do to comfort the sobbing dragoness.

Not hesitating, Laxus immediately knelt down at the dragoness' side and pulled her body towards him, encompassing her within his arms. As she sobbed even louder, Laxus' heart clenched as he felt the torrent of emotions flowing through her.

Pain. Sorrow. Loneliness. Fear. Abandonment. Loss.

When he felt her leaning towards him, her face buried in his chest, he knew that in that moment she had finally let go of herself, bearing everything to him.

* * *

The rest of the world cheered in victory as the threat of the dragons had finally disappeared. They had regained their city and their life.

But there was one amongst them all that did not cheer, who did not shout in victory.

Instead she wailed in sorrow. She cried for the loss of her father, for the loss of her kin. The loss of her innocence, the loss of her freedom and the loss of her friends. She cried for the loneliness she had felt over the long centuries, the built up frustration and anger within her for being unable to protect the ones she cared about.

She cried for what could have been and what has been.

She didn't know this herself, but as she sat there surrounded by his arms, his body, his scent, she cried for the temporary loss of _his_ life as well, as well as in relief that he was still here…alive.

And there was only one other person who truly understood how she felt at that moment.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Not sure about you, but I had written this earlier and genuinely felt sad when I went back to reread and edit this chapter. The manga never really showed what happened to Wendy and Laxus during the one minute time frame, but the anime did, so I tried to portray that.**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	21. Arc II-21: Mysterious suitor

**Chapter 21**

"Woah…Leora-chan…you look-" Lucy said in awe as she stared at the dragoness.

"Beautiful?" Evergreen finished, her eyes glinting with pride as she fixed her glasses. "Of course she does, I picked out the dress for her."

It was but a couple days after the finish of the Grand Magic Games. While many of Crocus' citizens believed that nothing had gone wrong that fateful night, the appearance of the dragons remained etched into the memories of the mages who fought them. Arising 'victorious', all the mages had been invited to the castle for a grand ball. A rare occasion. In fact, up until now, not a single mage had been invited to the castle. What an exception indeed.

All the girls of Fairy Tail had decided to get ready for the ball together, Leora included. Said dragoness was now staring at herself in front of a tall mirror, quite impressed. Evergreen and the rest of the girls had insisted on doing everything for her, treating her somewhat like a doll. Her long golden hair had been gently curled and put up in an intricate bun, leaving two curls to frame the sides of her face. The gown she wore, Leora had to admit, was beautiful. Pure black, the material it was made of was light, allowing it to flow almost to the ground in an A-line style starting from the curve of her hips. The top was body hugging and had a v-shaped neckline, accentuating her full bust, with sheer black material that reached up and over the edges of her shoulders before it plunged down the sides of her back, thus allowing the dress to be backless. She lifted her right leg, noticing the generous slit up the side of her dress. Her eyes followed all the way down until they reached the black heel she wore, pointing her foot in the process.

It was quite risqué.

And she loved it.

Evergreen smirked as she watched the dragoness checking herself out in the mirror. She had remembered how much she had grumbled when they were purchasing the dress, but similar to the way she looked now, Leora's eyes had lit up as soon as it was on her body.

It was perfect.

Leora noticed the simple pearl earrings adorning her ears. Not many would know this, since they were never close enough to tell, but her ears were actually slightly pointed in nature, another defining feature of her dragon heritage, despite being in her human form. Aside from her bracelet, which she was told to wear to avoid troubling the mages, the earrings and the diamond encrusted hair ornament she wore to keep her hair up, she had no other accessories. Which left her neck…quite bare.

When she asked Evergreen why, the brunette simply brushed her off, saying she looked perfect like that. She shrugged off her observation, trusting the woman's instincts.

"I'm going to go check on the boys," Evergreen announced as she headed towards the door. "I'll see you out there?"

"Mmm…" Leora nodded absentmindedly, still quite entranced by her own image.

Evergreen snickered. She had already known how much of a narcissist the proud dragoness could be.

* * *

The ball started not long after and soon the castle ballroom was filled with mages from all the participating guilds. It was a spectacle not many could say they've seen before.

Evergreen had located the boys off to the side of the ballroom, and not to her surprise, Laxus, wearing a white stiff collared formal jacket over a black dress shirt, was already surrounded by a group of fawning girls.

"Laxus-sama!" "Check out those muscles!"

Freed was having an awfully difficult time trying to pry the girls off of his Laxus. "Oi! Keep your distance from Laxus!"

Bickslow looked around and noticed something off. "Natsu isn't here?"

Evergreen seemed to notice that as well. "Normally he should be causing a ruckus and making a mess…"

"This is rare," Laxus stood there with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

Bickslow seemed to notice his leader's sour mood and smirked. "Seems like someone else is missing as well."

Evergreen caught onto Bickslow's direction of thinking. "Oh that's right. Well I had left her with the rest of girls, so she should be here soon…"

Laxus only grunted his response, seemingly ignoring everything around him. His eyes, however, had continued to scan the ballroom looking for-

His heart skipped a beat.

It was amazing how she could walk as if she was commanding the entire room and yet look like a lost lamb at the same time. She stopped in the middle of the ballroom, glancing around. Seeing as the other girls were not with her, she probably was lost. She faced in his direction, and even though she wasn't looking directly at him, he got lost in the golden sea that was her eyes. His own eyes trailing down her body, he let himself appreciate the full frontal view of what that dress did to her body.

She was more covered up than her usual ensemble and yet she looked twice as sinful. That dress looked like it was made for her and her alone, hugging her in all the right places. What delighted him further was what the v-shaped neckline so generously revealed. There, on the inner side of her left breast was their black lightning shaped mark.

When she made a slight turn, seemingly to look for someone, he could hear his own short intake of breath. The turn gifted him with a generous flash of leg before he was gifted with the entire span of her bare back.

That dress should be illegal.

"Oi boss," Laxus suddenly heard snickering beside him. "You're gonna catch flies if you stay like that."

Laxus immediately closed his jaw. "Shut up Bicks."

"Well I wouldn't blame ya," Bickslow continued. "Our little kitten looks good enough to eat."

One sharp glare had Bickslow laughing. "Well if you don't go get her now, she's gonna get snatched up by someone else."

"I think it's already too late for that," Evergreen interjected with a sly smile. She pointed towards the dragoness with her fan. Leora was already starting to gather up a crowd.

The dragoness had already deemed that there were too many people here. Within seconds of entering, Leora had lost the other girls, leaving her stranded in the middle of the ballroom. She turned all around in an attempt to locate someone she recognized, but was distracted by a sudden greeting.

"I'm surprised that a beautiful woman such as you would come unaccompanied."

Leora turned around. Unruly green hair and a broad well-built torso. "You are?"

"Orga of Sabertooth." Orga replied with confidence.

"The god slayer," Leora remembered.

"Lightning god slayer," Orga corrected proudly. "And I'm curious. Is a god more powerful? Or a dragon?"

Leora grinned. She did remember being curious about this man's abilities during the Games. "Perhaps we can find out another day? I was told to play nice this evening."

Orga was about to reply but he was quickly cut off by another voice.

"Oi Orga, quit bothering Leora-san," Sting said. He quickly turned towards Leora with an apologetic look on his face before more voices barged in.

"Sting-kun! Stop running off!" Lector ran towards them with Frosch and Rogue not too far behind. Upon noticing Leora, Lector's face lit up. "Leora-nee!"

"Leora…nee?" Leora raised a brow as she picked up the rogue coloured cat. She missed the appreciative looks sent her way when she bent down.

"Yup! You're the one Sting-kun likes so you're my nee-chan," Lector answered confidently, hands on his hips.

"Frosch thinks so too!" Frosch added with a wide smile.

"Lector!" Sting exclaimed, with a slight blush on his face. Rogue looked on while chuckling.

"Is that so?" Leora said with a smile. Once again, Sting was reminded of how much he was capable of blushing.

"Hey…Leora-nee? Are you still mad at Sting-kun?" Lector asked nervously. "I mean, he's not the politest and-"

Leora smiled at the cat, already knowing what he was getting at. "He's already been forgiven."

Sting's eyes lit up and he flashed her a bright smile. "Does this mean you'll come join Sabertooth?"

"I don't recall you defeating me yet," Leora teased.

Orga suddenly perked up. "Ohh…is this a proposition?"

Leora turned around with a sly grin. "It could be. Would you like to join our little game? The rules are quite simple"

Orga was about to respond with a 'yes' but upon seeing Sting and Rogue's pale faces and waving hands he changed his mind. "On second thought, perhaps another time."

Their little group was quickly starting to gather more people.

"Hmph. If Leora-chan is going to move guilds-" Eve started with a bow.

"She should come to Blue Pegasus," Hibiki continued with a dashing smile.

"You'll excel," Ren finished with a blush.

* * *

"Leora-san is awfully popular tonight," Freed noted with a smile.

Laxus didn't respond. Instead, he only seemed to be glaring daggers at the men currently surrounding the dragoness.

Bickslow couldn't help but tease Laxus over his foul mood. "Getting jealous there boss?"

Laxus grumbled. "She can do whatever she wants."

Evergreen seemed to be the only one sensing the dragoness' increasingly agitated mood. She sighed. "I'll go get her."

"Don't say I never do anything for you, Laxus," Evergreen said with a smirk as she passed by him.

* * *

Leora soon found herself in quite the verbal tug-of-war.

"No! Leora's coming to Sabertooth!"

"Leora-san would excel best in Blue Pegasus!"

"Stop trying to steal her from Sting-kun!"

It was too noisy.

Tiny sparks were already gathering around her and Leora was about to shock everyone into silence when she felt someone's hand grab her wrist.

"Now now, boys." Evergreen cut in. "I do believe Leora belongs to Fairy Tail. And we have no intention of letting her go." Evergreen started to drag Leora off. "Now if you excuse us, we have business elsewhere."

Evergreen let out her breath when the sparks around Leora finally calmed down. It would not do them well if she suddenly electrocuted everyone in her general vicinity.

"You know, when I picked out that dress for you I didn't know you'd gather _that_ much attention," Evergreen teased.

"Well it is a beautiful dress," Leora smiled.

"I know," Evergreen smirked. "Someone else thinks so too."

Leora raised her brow, but Evergreen didn't elaborate. "Where are we going?"

"The boys are over there," Evergreen responded, gesturing towards the corner of the room.

They weaved through the crowd and were almost there when Leora heard squealing.

"Laxus-sama!" "Laxus!" "Pay attention to us Laxus-sama!"

Leora turned towards the high-pitched voices and caught Laxus' gaze. She hadn't seen much of the dragon slayer after the night the dragons attacked. She had been so exhausted afterwards that she had spent the last couple of days sleeping in the inn. She had just barely recovered enough to make it to the ball. As they got close, she noticed that he looked different this evening, more put together.

It was…pleasant.

But Leora flinched as soon as her ears picked up more screaming. She quickly noticed the group of woman practically hanging off of Laxus. She paused in her step, causing Evergreen to stop as well.

"What's wrong? Laxus is over there."

For some reason, Leora didn't really want to go over there anymore. She didn't know why, but she decided that she'll blame it on not wanting to be deafened by the high-pitched squealing from the women.

"He's occupied," Leora said flatly. She was slightly surprised by how cold she sounded, but she decided not to dwell on that. She quickly turned on her heel and shook off Evergreen's hand, deciding she'd look for the other girls instead.

Laxus had been relieved when Evergreen managed to pull the dragoness away from the group of males fawning over her. When he saw Leora approaching, his breath stilled for a moment, but he was confused when she suddenly paused. Though he did catch her statement, which made him remember the woman currently gathered around him.

"Oi, get off me." Laxus growled as he brushed the woman away, much to their immediate dismay. He called out to her. "Leora wait."

Leora paused after hearing Laxus' voice. She moved to turn back towards him, but halfway through one of her hands was suddenly grasped in much larger and rougher one.

A male voice reached her ears. "Would the beautiful goddess care for a dance?"

Leora whipped back around and hissed. "No thanks." She's had enough of men today. However, her entire body froze when she looked at the man who currently held her hand captive.

The man in front of her was tall and muscularly lean. His silky, raven blue hair reached the nape of his neck and was roughly styled. He wore a long, black formal jacket with a tall collar over a silk dress shirt and green cravat. His face was adorned with twin striped markings on the side of his face in emerald colouring.

But what caused Leora to freeze was his eyes.

Piercing green irises with dark slitted pupils.

Before Leora could react, the man lifted her hand slightly before leaning forward and placing his lips upon the back of her hand. She stiffened at the contact.

"Just one dance?" The man asked, while keeping his eyes locked onto hers. His lips still hovered over her hand as he talked. "I would be _most_ upset to be rejected by such a lovely lady."

The man's grip on Leora's hand tightened significantly when he stressed the word 'most'. Only the man caught Leora's slight wince of pain, causing his smile to widen.

Evergreen moved to interrupt, but Leora lifted her other hand to stop her.

"It's fine, Ever, return to the others," Leora said softly. Evergreen was shocked by both the dragoness' acceptance of the man's request and her soft dismissal. When she looked into her eyes though, they seemed to have hardened.

Leora's eyes flashed dangerously in warning as she spoke slowly. "One dance."

Amusement was evident in both the man's eyes and his smile. "Of course." The man straightened up and gestured towards the dance floor with his free hand. "Shall we?"

* * *

Laxus' face was already twisted into a scowl by the time Evergreen returned to them.

Freed was the first one brave enough to ask. "Ever, who is that?"

"Ya, I'm surprised she even gave him the time of day," Bickslow frowned. He took a quick side glance at his leader and he could already tell that he was displeased.

Evergreen was equally stumped. "I have no idea. He just came out of nowhere. She was going to brush him off, but she stopped as soon as she saw him." Though in all honesty, Evergreen admitted to herself that the man was definitely a handsome one.

Even the women surrounding Laxus had comments to add.

"I wonder who that gentleman is?" "He's so dreamy!" "Look at those face tattoos! It makes him look so exotic…"

Laxus tried to get a decent look at the mysterious man, but given the number of people that kept walking by, he couldn't. He dug his hands into his pockets in frustration.

Another one of his groupies decided to comment. "Wait…what is he giving her?"

* * *

Leora felt his eyes upon her as they walked towards the dance floor. He seemed to be studying her intently. She glared up at him, hoping he would stop.

"Hmm. You're missing something," he said with a gentle smile as he paused. Though she knew he was anything but gentle. Of course she was forced to pause as well and she shot him another glare. He then waved a hand over her neck and in a wisp of smoke an exquisite diamond necklace appeared around her neck.

She glanced down and her free hand came up to touch the necklace. They were real diamonds.

"This is unnecessary."

"Nonsense. Only the best for the most beautiful lady in the room." Another uncomfortably bright smile. "Besides, you love diamonds."

"Flattery is not going to get you anywhere," Leora said flatly.

As he watched the exchange, Laxus' right hand gripped painfully around the tiny box in his jacket pocket. The Raijinshuu all turned to glance at Laxus with sympathetic gazes.

"I should go get her," Evergreen suggested quietly.

"No," Laxus said flatly. "Let her do what she wants."

Evergreen nodded with a frown, before turning back towards the dance floor to watch the dragoness and her mysterious new suitor.

Leora subtly noticed that the music had changed from light and playful to deep and sensual as soon as they stepped onto the dance floor. She glared darkly into the man's forest green eyes when he pulled her towards him and pressed her flush against his body with a hand at her bare lower back. He allowed her only enough room for their bodies to start dancing to the sensual music.

She was done playing stranger.

"What are you doing here?" Leora hissed through gritted teeth. " _Rhaegal_."

Rhaegal shot her a wolfish grin, his sharp fangs glinting in the light. "You look exquisite tonight." Rhaegal's gaze was heavy as his eyes swept across her body, completely ignoring her question. "What a daring dress. Black. It suits you." They continued to move across the dancefloor, not missing a step. "Though I do appreciate it more when you wear white." The music paused for a moment and Rhaegal pulled her flush against him once again. In her heels, she was half a head shorter than the male as he leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"It always looks much better after you stain it crimson red."

Leora growled and pushed herself away from Rhaegal's grasp just as the music started up again. "That's enough."

"Wait," Rhaegal's grasped Leora's hand once again and pulled her towards him. "You promised me one dance." He tilted her chin up with one finger so she looked directly at him. He smirked when he caught her scowl. "Smile. You wouldn't want to warrant unnecessary attention would you? I would be most upset. And I don't think you'd want me to be upset inside this room full of humans."

Leora wanted to growl, but forced herself to smile. Rhaegal was right. One wrong move and he could easily take out the entire room. Even if they were mages, she knew they wouldn't stand a chance. She didn't even think she had enough to fight him off if she needed to. She was still lacked the energy.

* * *

"Are they flirting?!" Bickslow blurted out by accident. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but the dragoness just flashed the mysterious man quite the smile. "Also, may I add as a side note. The little kitten is quite the dancer."

"Indeed," Freed added. He was intrigued by the pair, even though technically he shouldn't be. "They're not missing a single step." Having been born into a noble house, Freed was not a novice when it came to formal dancing. He recognized this style of dance. It was meant to be sensual, even borderline sexual.

The girls that had surrounded Laxus had already let him go, having been entranced by the stranger.

"He's so…sexy…" "Who is that woman? She's so lucky!" "Ya I would kill to be her right now!"

Everyone missed the gritting of teeth originating from the irritated dragon slayer.

* * *

Rhaegal laughed and spun her forward in line with the music. Leora obediently followed his lead and allowed him to spin her back with one hand, returning so that her back was flushed against his chest. Once again, he leaned to speak in her ear.

"Two hundred years apart and that's the best smile you can give me?" As he spoke, his free hand started trailing slowly up body starting from her hip, matching the tone of the song.

"I didn't expect to be attacked first thing either," Leora hissed, referring to the other day. She stiffened when his hand had reached far enough that he was practically cupping her left breast. With insane speed, she whipped back around and attempted to strike him with her free hand, but it was casually caught by his own. She knew that to anyone watching, it would have seemed like a natural part of the dance. That was how good this farce was.

Rhaegal chuckled. "Now that's my girl. I didn't expect you to simply stand there and obey my rules. That just wouldn't be you." Once again they started to traverse the dancefloor. Leora had one clawed hand gripping into Rhaegal's shoulder, while he had his once again on her lower back. Their other hands still held onto each other's as they returned to traversing the dancefloor. No one else around them noticed how painfully tight their hands were intertwined as Leora struggled against the dark dragon's stronger grip.

* * *

Evergreen was fuming on the inside. "He just grabbed her-!" How was the dragoness allowing something like this?! Even if the man looked like pure sin it didn't excuse him from acting like a pig!

The annoying girls, completely ignoring the inappropriate grab the man had made to his dance partner, continued their commentary.

"They look really good together…" "Like a prince and his princess" "…perfect for each other…"

Evergreen turned towards her leader, but she flinched when she saw the slight flash of pain pass by his eyes. It was brief and she knew he was trying to hide it, but something like that doesn't pass by her womanly intuition undetected. And judging by the short looks she shared with Bickslow and Freed, it seems as if they all that as well.

Evergreen sighed. Things were going to get messy from now on…

Her great leader had fallen for the dragoness.

Freed continued to watch the couple dance with furrowed brows. Something was off.

* * *

Rhaegal continued to speak as they danced. "You're wrong you know. I wasn't attacking you that day. You just simply happened to be in the way."

Leora already knew that. His real target was painfully obvious.

"Why?" Leora asked quietly.

"Why?!" Rhaegal hissed, his voice rising. That garnered a couple of curious glances from others around them, which forced the dragon to calm himself down for a couple of moments. "After a hundred years of being forced away, I finally heard news that you weren't with _him_ anymore."

They started moving to the music again to avoid suspicion. "But, when I finally found out where you were, I found myself standing in front of a cave."

Rhaegal growled angrily. "You went to sleep, just like that, for a hundred years. Did you even think of me when you made that decision?"

Leora looked away guiltily. She didn't. When she made her decision to go under, all that was going through her mind was the pain of losing Mavis and Yuri.

Rhaegal didn't stop. "I tried year after year to find a way to wake you up. After fifty years I gave up. Then after a while I heard…rumors of an enslaved dragon and I just knew it had to be you."

* * *

Freed couldn't help but speak up as he watched the pair. It was becoming increasingly obvious. "Something's wrong…"

Evergreen and Bickslow looked to him, while Laxus only perked his ear. He had long turned away from the dancefloor, unwilling to watch.

Freed continued. "For a dance that is supposed to speak through the language of bodies, they are talking awfully a lot."

"Maybe they're just getting to know one another?" Bickslow suggested.

Freed shook his head. "It doesn't look like it. In fact, it looks as if they are arguing."

Laxus finally turned his head towards Freed, fully tuning in.

"Also, this style of dance is supposed to be fluid and sensual, but Leora-san is much too stiff to be dancing correctly." Freed added. He had been watching their movements carefully. The man's grip on her hand was far too tight, as if he was trying to hold her strictly in place. He had a sharp intake of breath as he finally realized something. "It looks more like she's fighting than she's dancing…"

Laxus was now paying full attention to the dancefloor. If one had excellent hearing, they would be able to hear the low growls emitting from his chest.

* * *

Rhaegal pushed her out, before pulling her back with a spin. "I came here to free you. I knew killing him was the only option."

Leora's eyes shot back up to meet his piercing green ones. "I-"

Rhaegal cut her off. "He enslaved you! And you still defended him?!" Leora could tell that he was barely holding in his anger.

"It's not like that anymore!" Leora exclaimed, trying her best to keep her voice down.

"It's not like that anymore," Rhaegal laughed sarcastically. Leora flinched when she felt the sorrow behind his laughter and winced when his grip grew painful. She threw a kick towards him hoping he'd loosen his grip. He did, letting go of her hand completely before grabbing hold of her thigh, made accessible by the large slit in the side of her dress. His hand trailed up her thigh and Leora reached down to swat it away, but when he suddenly dipped her low towards the ground, all she could grip onto was his wrist, lest she fall to the ground.

She let out a silent gasp of surprise.

The hand around her waist slid upwards to support her back, but Leora's other hand remained in a death grip on his shoulder. Her head was forced to fall backwards, exposing her neck. With all the sudden movements, the ornament holding up her hair finally fell free, releasing her long golden curls which proceeded to trail lightly along the floor.

The song was coming to an end.

Rhaegal leaned forward into the dip and growled against her neck. "You sided with the humans. Even now you are protecting them. What would your father say?"

Leora was still stunned and unable to respond.

"Speaking of which-" On the last note, he snapped her back up, causing her hair to whip forwards, before falling back to frame her face. Their foreheads were touching and their eyes were locked. The song had ended and it was silent as he whispered. "Your father's den seems quite homey."

At that comment, Leora finally snapped. "Rhaegal…" Her growls were loud and threatening as her vision clouded. If it wasn't for the sudden commotion inside the ballroom, everyone's attention would have been on them. Instead someone else seemed to have diverted it away.

Rhaegal seemed happy for the distraction. "And that is our cue to leave."

Leora suddenly felt herself being pulled along, not knowing where she was going. Her mind was only consumed by rage.

She finally knew who violated her father's den.

* * *

Laxus hadn't been able to hear their conversation during the dance, but he wouldn't mistake the one word that the dragoness had uttered when the music stopped and the crowd quieted down.

 _Rhaegal_.

Growling, he shoved through the crowd towards the pair in the middle of the dance floor. The Raijinshuu moved to follow as soon as they saw the dragoness' darkened eyes and bared fangs. They prayed that things wouldn't get out of hand.

Suddenly a loud horn signaled the arrival of the king, causing all of them to instinctively look up. For some reason, Natsu had taken the King's crown, causing quite the commotion. It had only been a couple of moments, but by the time they had all reached the dancefloor the dragoness was nowhere in sight.

"Damn it!" Laxus shouted in frustration. "Where did he take her?!"

"Calm down Laxus," Evergreen insisted. "Can you find her scent?"

"She was wearing the goddamn bracelet," Laxus growled. "I swear when I find her she's never wearing that thing again." Laxus even tried searching for her through the Bond, but it remained closed. He sensed her presence nearby, but he was unable to pinpoint exactly which direction she had went. But it gave him slight relief, since it meant that she was still close. He tried calling out to her, but to his annoyance she didn't respond.

"It's okay Laxus," Freed reassured. "Leora-san should be fine."

"She better be," Laxus responded through gritted teeth.

* * *

Leora's thoughts were racing a mile a minute. She should have known. The only ones capable of entering through the doors to her father's den were those with the strength of a dragon. And people who fit that category were quite slim.

She barely registered that she had been pulled out outside onto a small balcony. But she did note that they were finally alone. She couldn't stop the increasing volume of her growls and as soon as they stopped moving she sprung forward to strike.

Rhaegal immediately responded, grabbing hold of her fists. She struggled, but she didn't have enough strength left and soon she found herself pulled into a tight embrace. His arms wrapped around her body, while she found hers pinned to her side. Rhaegal leaned forward and rested his cheek against the crook of her neck. "Lea."

" _Lea! Lea! Look!"_

" _Grr. How many times do I have to tell you? It's Leora! Get my name right!"_

She stood still, hands fisted at her side, her growls never decreasing in volume. "Embracing me is not going to get rid my anger."

Rhaegal spoke gently into her hair. "Yes it will. You never stay mad at me when I do this. We've been through too much to ever stay mad at each other."

" _Stop! Stop it! H-Hit me! Hit me instead of her!"_

"This is different," Leora snarled, but inside she was already losing the war.

" _Heh! Are you too scared to deal with me? Is that why you'd rather hit her? She's defenseless! You humans have no honor!"_

" _Shut up brat!"_

" _Ahhh!"_

" _Stop! Stop hitting him!"_

Leora knew that he was right. The things he had done for her had earned a lifetime of forgiveness. Try as she might, but her body was already subconsciously relaxing within his embrace.

Leora grumbled, still incredibly frustrated by how quickly she gave up her fight. "I never understood why you liked such a human gesture."

Rhaegal laughed. "You always did have a knack for reminding me of how human I am when you're angry."

That's right. Rhaegal was still technically human, despite being gifted with the long life and abilities of a dragon. The consequences Acnologia faced from the overuse of his dragon slayer magic had passed onto his son.

As well as his status as a dragon slayer.

Her feelings still raging inside of her, she demanded answers. Answers as to why he had stolen her father's lacrima. "Why? Why did you take it? You couldn't have used it even if you wanted-" Leora's eyes widened as her head immediately whipped to the side to face him. He couldn't have been so stupid. Her father's lacrima was much too powerful for one with already such strong dragon abilities. Absorbing it would have caused his death.

"Can't say I didn't try. Boy was it painful."

Leora growled, once again struggling against his hold, but it was no use. "Why the hell did you even try?"

"You had your ways of getting stronger. I just wanted my own." Rhaegal stated. "Besides, I wanted to make sure that you'd be mine when you woke up."

"What are you talking abou-" Leora's eyes widened in realization. She looked down at the lightning shaped mark on her chest. Rhaegal never had much lightning power of his own. If he had gained lightning dragon slaying magic using the lacrima then…

"Figured it out?" Rhaegal asked with a light teasing tone. "Imagine my surprise when someone beat me to it." He growled and held her closer. "You were supposed to be mine. He was supposed to die and you would have been mine. But then you got in the way! And after you came in-"

"You stopped being serious." Leora cut him off, but she already knew that fact. She knew that from the moment she stepped into the arena that he would stop fighting to kill. The rest of the fight was simply him working out his frustrations against her. Which she allowed.

"But you were." He whispered, his breath brushing against her skin.

That was partially true. She had been serious in the beginning. It surprised her _how_ serious she was, actually. Rhaegal had been fighting to kill, but she had been fighting to protect. But then…

"I wasn't." How could she be? Once her and Laxus had gained the upper hand she relaxed. It still made her feel slightly guilty that she did, because Laxus _was_ serious. For him he was fighting for his life and she? She pulled back at the last moment, making sure that the final blow was not fatal.

She felt Rhaegal stiffen as they both recalled that afternoon just a couple of days ago. She hadn't missed the look of pain in his eyes before he flew away from the stadium that day.

"You've changed." Leora whispered, pushing away from his embrace. Surprisingly, he let her.

"No," Rhaegal said, his eyes trying to search for the dragoness he had remembered. "You did. What happened to the Lea-nee I used to know?"

Leora rolled her eyes. "I'm not your sister."

"Of course not," Rhaegal sighed. "You made that very clear every time I called you that. But it doesn't change anything. Where did the you that I used to know disappear to? Everything changed the day you left me behind for _him_!"

"I didn't want to leave you! You know that!" Leora protested, her voice honest for once. She still remembered that day, two hundred years ago, as clear as if it was yesterday.

xXx

 _They decided to take a break from all the travelling they had done for the past couple of days. She and Rhaegal were playing in the middle of the valley, while Zeref sat off the side, against a large thriving oak tree at the top of a hill nearby._

" _Lea! Lea! Look!" Rhaegal exclaimed as he ran towards her._

 _She growled, annoyed. "How many times do I have to tell you? It's Leora! Get my name right!"_

 _Rhaegal looked at her with a contemplative look on his face for a moment, before shaking his head. "After a hundred years I still think I like Lea."_

" _That doesn't change the fact that my name is still Leora, brat!"_

 _It was Rhaegal's turn to growl. "Hey! Stop calling me that! I'm not a child anymore!"_

" _Hah!" She said, with her hands on her hips. "Doesn't matter! I'm fifty years older than you. You'll always be a child to me!"_

 _Rhaegal growled at her. "That's not fair!" Moments later he pounced._

 _They spent the rest of the afternoon wrestling and play fighting, the sounds of their laughter ringing throughout the valley._

" _Hah! I knew I'd win! I'm older!" She cried in victory after she had pinned Rhaegal down. She turned around with a wide smile. "Did you see Zeref! I won!"_

 _She caught Zeref's gentle smile. It was the first genuine smile she's ever seen from him._

 _Then everything changed._

 _Zeref's face suddenly twisted in a mixture of horror and pain. She was confused at the quick change. Then she felt it. The hairs on the back of her neck raising in warning. This dreadful feeling that felt so familiar to her._

" _R-Run," she heard Zeref whisper. She panicked. They didn't have enough time. It was coming._

 _She threw herself on top of Rhaegal just in time to feel the wave of death wash over them. She waited for moments until she was certain that it had passed. She slowly sat up, looking all around her._

 _Dead._

 _Everything was dead. The bright green grass around her had turned pitch black. She turned back around. The vibrant tree Zeref had been leaning against was now but a dead trunk, entirely void of leaves. Zeref himself was mess, eyes wide, cradling his head while shaking like a leaf._

 _A groan beside her had her immediately turning towards the boy next to her._

" _Rhaegal!" She sighed with relief. He was alive._

" _W-What happened?"_

" _I don't know…" Her eyes hardened as she took a quick glance at Zeref before addressing the confused dragon beside her. She didn't want to do this, but they didn't have a choice. "You must go."_

 _Rhaegal sat up immediately. "Wait, what? What are you talking about?"_

 _Zeref was starting to shake once again. This had never happened before, and now it's happening twice in such short notice. Was the curse that Zeref had told her about activating again? What triggered the reaction?_

" _You can't stay here anymore. It's not safe," she insisted._

" _What about you?" Rhaegal asked._

" _I'll be fine," she reassured him._

 _Rhaegal seemed to figure out that she wasn't going with him. "You're leaving me?"_

" _You have to understand."_

" _No! No I don't understand!" Rhaegal cried out. "Why are you choosing him over me!"_

" _I made a promise," she said firmly._

" _You promised to stay with me!"_

" _No," Her voice was stern, her determination evident in her eyes as she looked into his. "I promised to keep you safe. This is keeping you safe. Now go. Before I force you to."_

 _Rhaegal growled, anger and frustration prominent in his eyes. But he listened, taking flight a minute later, but not before turning back with fire in his eyes. "I-I hate you! I won't forgive you for leaving me behind!"_

 _Pain flashed through her eyes as she watched him fly away just as another wave of predation washed over the field. He'll forgive her eventually._

 _It was for his own good._

 _xXx_

"You say you didn't want to leave me and yet you did," Rhaegal frowned, struggling to remain calm. "You made your choice that one day two hundred years ago and you chose him over me."

"I made him a promise!" Leora shouted.

"And me?! Didn't you make me a promise?!"

Leora sighed, taking deeper breaths. "We've already been over this before."

"Yes we have. And since that day you've forgotten about me." The pain was evident in his voice.

Leora clenched her hands into fists. "What are you talking about? I tried looking for you, but you were nowhere to be found!"

"Don't you understand how angry I was!" Rhaegal cried. "For a hundred years I was so angry at you, so I left the country to cool down. And when I finally came to terms with what you had done, you just _had_ to go to sleep."

"I understand that you were mad, but it was for your own good. Stop being unreasonable!" Leora growled in frustration. "You were always like this. When will you grow up!"

Rhaegal growled. "Stop treating me like I'm a child!"

"That's because you are a child!"

"No I'm not! You changed that when you decided to sleep in suspended animation." He took a step towards her, while she took one back. His voice dropped lower, sounding almost predatory. "You know, I'm older than you now. You used to be fifty years older than me. Now, the tables have turned. Which means, now, I'm stronger than you."

Leora's back hit the railing behind her and Rhaegal's hands immediately trapped her on both sides. She pushed against his chest, but he was immovable. She froze when he leaned forward and nuzzled his face against her neck.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do this." Rhaegal whispered. "I'm not a child anymore. And it's about time you see me as a real dragon." Leora was confused at his words until she felt his fangs against her neck. Immediately alarm bells went off in her head and she shoved him away with all her might, causing him to stumble backwards a couple of steps.

Her screaming eyes revealed the panic inside of her. "What do you think you're doing?!" She was yelling by now, not caring who could hear. Her hand went up to her neck, touching the spot where he had almost marked her.

"You fully know what I want to do," Rhaegal said, growling in frustration. "Why won't you accept me! I'm strong enough for you now!"

"I-I can't," Leora protested. "The line needs to be kept-"

"Pure?!" Rhaegal hissed. "You're the last person who's allowed to say that!"

Leora recoiled from his words, but he didn't stop there.

"You may have thrown away the other half of you, but it doesn't change what you are."

Her heart pounded and clenched in pain from his words. She didn't want to hear this.

"All that pain. Was it worth it? Was it worth ridding yourself of the-"

"Stop!" Leora cried out, tears welling in her eyes. "Stop…don't say it."

She turned around, unable to face him, her hands painfully gripping the railing in front of her. They said nothing for a couple moments and the only thing that could be heard was her heavy breathing.

Rhaegal's sudden declaration was firm and completely unexpected.

"I love you. _All_ of you."

* * *

Laxus was growling in complete frustration by the time he had entered yet another castle hallway. He had searched the entire ballroom, but there was no sign of the dragoness. He and the Raijinshuu had split up halfway through to cover more ground.

Laxus looked around the hallway in front of him. It was long and dimly lit, with closed doors on his left, and curtained windows to his right. Throwing one of the curtains open, he realized that each of the windows were actually glass doors leading to a balcony outside. It was quiet as he walked, his footsteps echoing along the marble floors.

Then, he heard a shout. " _What do you think you're doing?!"_

With a sharp intake of breath, Laxus recognized that voice. She was here. But, her voice had echoed along the entire hallway, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly where it came from. He hurried down the hallway, stopping to throw back the curtains as he passed each one of them, hoping she would be on the other side.

Another shout, originating from a male voice, penetrated the hallway. _"Pure?! You're the last person who's allowed to say that!"_

Laxus was confused. What were they talking about? What did he mean by pure?

He continued to make his way down the hallway. He knew he was getting closer as he started to pick up on more of the conversation.

" _All that pain. Was it worth it? Was it worth ridding yourself of the-"_

" _Stop!...Stop…don't say it…"_

The more he heard, the more confused Laxus got. But one thing he knew was certain. The dragoness was distressed. He could hear it clearly in her voice. It spurred him on as he continued his search.

Throwing open another set of curtains to reveal yet another empty balcony, Laxus hurried on in panic. He was almost there. He knew it.

Then he stopped all of a sudden, in the middle of the hallway, completely frozen in place.

" _I love you…All of you."_

* * *

 _ **A/N: I went a little overboard with this scene which lead to an insanely long chapter. So I split it into two. This is the first part of the scene, the second part should be out by tomorrow. I loved the cute Grand Magic Ball episode/chapter so I decided to put my own dramatic spin on it.**_

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	22. Arc II-22: Beating hearts

**Chapter 22**

" _I love you. All of you."_

* * *

"Stop joking around…" Leora choked out, her claws digging into the wood of the railing in front of her. Her mind failed to process this. Rhaegal had never been this way before. What was he saying?! Where did all of this come from?

She didn't understand. She needed to get away. Turning back around, she made a run towards the glass doors that led back into the castle. But before she could make it, Rhaegal grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her back against the doors, pinning her with his body. She cried out, but more from shock than from pain.

She couldn't move.

"You have no idea how serious I am." Rhaegal whispered into her left ear, his breath tickling her sensitive skin. He was uncomfortably close to her neck. "I've had a hundred years to figure out how I felt about you."

"I've never seen you as anything more than a brother," Leora whispered, hoping that he would rethink this.

"Well you better start now," he mumbled into her neck.

Out of the corner of her eye, Leora watched as Rhaegal's fangs elongated, his power enveloping his sharp canines before he started to lower them to her neck. Adrenaline racing through her veins, she made a final attempt to throw him off but it was no use. He was too strong for her.

Her body fell limp as she resigned herself to her fate, but then Rhaegal's eyes shot forwards, seemingly staring through the glass doors behind her.

She felt her heart skip when she heard his voice.

"Leora!"

* * *

Laxus brain stopped functioning for a moment, his mind only focusing on those three words. _I love you_. He didn't understand. She had told him that they were only like family. Were they something more? Had he been mistaken this entire time?

He could feel the pounding of his own heart as blood rushed to his brain, giving him a headache. He almost missed her next words.

" _Stop joking around._ _"_

He was jolted out of his daze when he heard the sound of her cry followed by a loud crash. Forcing himself to snap out of it, he focused on where the sound came from.

There.

He was so close.

He ran as fast as he could towards the curtains at the very end of the hallway before throwing them open. He froze as he saw Leora's back pressed against the glass doors in front of him, arms pinned down by the man in front of her. Though he couldn't even use that word anymore. The male in front of him looked nothing like a man. His piercing green eyes had darkened, and looked…feral. His fangs had elongated and were positioned right over…her neck.

All of a sudden he felt his inner dragon raging inside him, as if it was telling him that something was incredibly wrong.

He called out to her.

"Leora!"

The next couple of moments seemed to pass in slow motion. Upon hearing his voice, Leora slowly turned her head around as far as she could, her eyes brightening in recognition when she saw him through the glass doors behind her. But her turn had left the other side of her neck completely exposed…

Laxus could do nothing but watch as her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent gasp.

Rhaegal's eyes flashed towards him in victory as his fangs sunk into her neck, his mouth curling into a smirk. For seconds, Leora had gone completely stiff, before a defeated whine reached his ears. The dragon inside of him begged to be released. Laxus pushed against the glass door, but it wouldn't budge as Leora was pressed firmly against it, preventing it from moving.

After what seemed like a lifetime, but was only a couple of moments, Rhaegal finally released her neck, before licking the small trail of blood from her wound. That gesture seemed to have shocked the dragoness back into reality. Growling, she pitched forward in an attempt to strike the dragon who had just marked her. Rhaegal jumped back and Leora followed, which allowed for Laxus to push open the glass doors. But as soon as he stepped out onto the balcony, Rhaegal had caught Leora's hand that had swung for him, using it to pull the dragoness right up towards him…

Caught off guard, Leora stumbled forward…

Until Rhaegal's lips connected with hers.

Eyes thrown completely wide and body frozen entirely in shock, Leora could barely registered what was happening.

The moment their lips touched, Laxus snapped. With an ear-deafening roar, the dragon within him had finally broken free, taking control of his body, lightning raging around his body. Bursting forward, he attempted to throw a wild punch, but Rhaegal had broken away from Leora just in time to dodge. The dark dragon had jumped backwards over the ledge and with wide-spread raven coloured wings, he hovered in the sky with a smirk.

Still a little disoriented, Leora stood frozen for a couple moments more, merely blinking. But she was snapped out of her daze when she noticed Laxus' current state. Something was wrong. Immediately turning towards the dragon slayer, lightning still swirling dangerously around him, she noticed that his eyes had darkened and grew wild, while his teeth, having elongated to resemble fangs, were bared.

His inner dragon had been released.

"Laxus!" Leora shouted at him, hoping to get his attention. But he was lost, his entire being only focused on destroying the dark dragon in front of him. She grabbed hold of the dragon slayer just in time to prevent his attempt to vault himself off the balcony to attack Rhaegal. As strong as the dragon slayer was, she highly doubted that he knew how to fly.

Rhaegal only laughed as he watched in great amusement, his tongue emerging to lick at his lips, which only served to enrage the dragon slayer even more. Leora was forced to wrap both arms around him, preventing him from pushing forward. She cursed the fact that she still lacked energy because holding him back was much more effort than she thought it would be.

"Just go!" Leora turned her head to shout to the dragon still hovering in the sky.

"Forcing me to leave again?" Rhaegal growled. "For a different human this time I see."

Leora growled in frustration, her arms straining to hold Laxus back. She didn't need another fight right now. She wouldn't be able to handle it. "Can't you just do this…for me?"

Laxus continued to push against her, Leora straining to hold him back.

Rhaegal's hands balled into fists, but seeing her struggle, he agreed. He turned, but just before Rhaegal left, there was one last thing Leora needed answers to.

Leora shouted up at him. "Wait! How did you know I was here?"

The look on his face as he turned back around had already answered her question.

"You've gone to see him," Leora stated, though it was hard to speak over Laxus' constant growling in her ear. _Zeref_. "He's the one who told you where I was."

Rhaegal gritted his teeth, but didn't say anything else.

"You don't need to hide it," Leora said, softly. "You missed him too."

Rhaegal scoffed, his head turning to the side. The moonlight reflected against his dark hair, highlighting the blue tones within it.

He sighed. "He's coming for you."

Leora flinched. "When?"

"When he's ready you'll know," Rhaegal answered, cryptically. "Just stop playing house with these humans and come home already."

"I can't," Leora whispered. _I'm already home._

She missed the pained look in Rhaegal's eyes before he reluctantly flew off. "I'll be back...Lea-nee." Leora watched with a heavy gaze as he left, before focusing her attention back on the dragon slayer still growling in front of her.

"Laxus," Leora called out his name, but he didn't respond. "Laxus!" It was as if he didn't even know she was there…

!

Reaching towards her wrist, Leora pulled off the bracelet masking her scent and presence. It seemed to have caught his attention, since he immediately lost some of the tension in his shoulders. His inner dragon seemed to have recognized her scent…

Leora let out an uncharacteristic squeak when he suddenly enveloped her into his arms, pulling her flush against him. She stiffened in surprise when he nuzzled into her neck, but let him do as he wished. For a minute he simply held her close, breathing in her scent, making sure she was okay. Seemingly satisfied with her lack of injury, Leora felt him relax even further and his low growls ceased. Soon after, he must have come to his senses, his inner dragon receding, as he too stiffened up and immediately he pulled back to arm's length.

"Are you back?" Leora asked genuinely, glancing into his eyes. They had lost their wild edge and finally brightened up into a shade she recognized. She noticed that his fangs too have retracted.

Laxus looked away, coughing in embarrassment, his cheeks feeling a little warm. What the hell was he doing hugging Leora like that? The past couple of minutes felt so hazy to him. All he remembered was…

Laxus growled aggressively as he remembered why he had snapped. "Where is he?"

"He's gone," Leora answered. She reached out to grab his arm when he tried to leave to go find him. "He's too far for you to go look for him now."

Growling, Laxus' interrogation had begun. "Why did you go with him?"

"I didn't exactly have a choice," Leora retorted. "In a room full of people I'd rather not have him tear the place apart."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Laxus asked, his voice barely betraying his hurt. It left him unsettled that she didn't trust him enough to call on him for help. He knew she was strong, but she needed to know that he was there for her.

"I can handle him myself," Leora argued. "Besides, he wouldn't hurt me."

"Then what is that?" Laxus snarled as he pointed out the blaring mark on the left column of her neck. It made him feel all kinds of uneasy. Seeing it on her body just seemed wrong.

Leora flinched. For a moment she had forgotten that Rhaegal had marked her. She winced as the mark pulsed, the power that he introduced into her body attempting to mix with hers. It'll continue until it disappears.

"Don't worry about that. It's only temporary. It will disappear in a week." Her body will make sure of that. Already she could feel it rejecting Rhaegal's power. It felt, unnatural inside her body, a mixture of too many different kinds of powers trying to mesh with her own. A trait that was no fault of his own, but merely a consequence of being Acnologia's son.

She didn't divulge to Laxus anymore details. He didn't need to know of the meaning and significance behind the mark.

Laxus narrowed his eyes, feeling as if she wasn't telling him everything. Having started off as a second generation dragon slayer, he didn't have a dragon to teach him…dragon specific things, but even he knew that what she had told him wasn't the whole story. His inner dragon reinforced this thought as it was still raging at the sight of it. But he let it go. For now.

Besides he had too many other things to scold her on. "Why are you always being so reckless?"

"What are you talking about?" Leora asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Aside from what just happened tonight, how about running into the Eclipse for starters?" Laxus argued, his voice raising. "What would have happened if I couldn't bring you back?"

"But you did," Leora said.

"But what if I didn't make it in time?" Laxus gritted his teeth, trying to get her to understand his frustration.

"Then I guess I would be quite a bit older right now," Leora supposed. She wasn't worried. It wasn't as if another four hundred years would change anything…right?

Laxus wanted to find a punching bag after hearing the nonchalant tone that the dragoness was using right now. Did she not know how he felt when he heard that she had disappeared? When their connection was so weak that he thought he had lost it? Didn't she feel the same pain in her heart as the pain he felt when he realized she was gone?

The huge wave of relief he felt when she was finally back…with him…

Damn.

This is not good.

He watched as Leora gave him a confused look at his silence, his eyes mesmerized by the soft golden hues of her own as she glanced up at him with a small tilt to her face. The moon, still majority full, stood high in the sky next to the dancing stars, illuminating her creamy skin and soft golden curls that frame around her face and over her shoulders. Her lips pursed in a miniscule pout when he still didn't' respond to her.

Did she always look this…radiant?

"Laxus?"

That was his name. Not 'dragon slayer' or some other convention.

His name.

His heart skipped a beat.

Shit.

 _I'm screwed._

…

 _I've fallen for her._

* * *

The Raijinshuu had been running around the castle searching for the dragoness when they suddenly stumbled into a long quiet hallway. Their footsteps echoed as they walked. They noted closed doors to their left and glass doors to their right that lead to the balconies outside. The curtains were in quite disarray, as if someone had just thrown them open in a hurry.

They continued to walk swiftly down the corridor until suddenly Evergreen gasped. There at the very end of the hallway, out on the balcony with both the doors and curtains wide open was Laxus and the dragoness, standing less than a foot apart from each other.

Bickslow was about to shout out to them, but Evergreen immediately covered his mouth with her hand. She dragged both Bickslow and Freed into a nearby adjacent hallway.

"What was that for?!" Bickslow shouted, but his voice was muffled behind Evergreen's hand.

"Are you blind?" Evergreen whispered. "Look!" The trio peered around the corner and back towards the balcony. She was thankful that the pair had not noticed them. "That Rhaegal is not there; they must have chased him off. It's just…the two of them."

Bickslow seemed to have caught on, since his eyes glinted and a wide grin erupted on his face, his tongue sticking out. Even Freed seemed to understand, and with a slightly creepy smile, he got to work.

"Freed, what are you doing?" Evergreen whispered, confused. Why was he drawing runes all of a sudden?

"If we are to continue to eavesdrop, I'd rather not get caught," Freed mumbled as he continued to write his quick rune. It wasn't his best work, but it will do. The runes on the ground shimmered when he finished and the message appeared in the air.

 _All mages within these runes shall remain unseen, unheard and unscented._

The other two sported wide grins as soon as they read Freed's rule and immediately popped their faces out into the hallway, making sure to keep themselves within the runes Freed had made. This gave them the perfect side view of the two. With one dressed in complete white and the other in contrasting black, the pair were like light and dark.

They were both staring at each other.

A part of Bickslow wished he had brought some snacks over from the ballroom.

They knew the show was going to be entertaining from the moment Laxus spontaneously pulled the dragoness towards him in a tight embrace.

Evergreen's uncharacteristically girly squeal was only heard by the other two members of the Raijinshuu as they eagerly watched with creepy, excited grins, excited to know what would happen next.

* * *

Leora stiffened as she was once again pressed firmly against Laxus, his arms tightening around her, holding her closer than before.

"Don't you ever do something like that again," Laxus demanded breathlessly.

She was thrown a little off by his husky tone. "A-Ah." Though, she started to feel a little miffed at the fact that she was the only one being scolded here. She wasn't the only one who did something reckless. At least all she did was run through a door that led back four hundred years. She wasn't the one who put herself in harm's way, standing in front of a dragon only to be roughly ripped into, thrown a hundred feet and-

…killed.

"Like you're one to talk," Leora retorted, her voice hardening. "I wasn't the one who deliberately put himself in front of a dragon's jaws."

Laxus flinched, recalling that moment. "I didn't have a choice. It was me or Wendy." There was no hesitation when he moved. He refused to lose any nakama that night.

"There could've been other ways…"

"Name one."

"…"

Laxus felt her huff against his chest. He looked down at her golden hair, slightly confused at her reaction. "Why are you so upset?" Then his eyes widened slightly in realization, before a smirk appeared on his face and his voice took on a teasing tone. "Were you worried about me?"

Her eyes immediately came up to stare defiantly into his own. "Haa? Who would be worried about you?"

Laxus' brow raised, unconvinced. "I do recall someone shedding a tear for me just a couple of nights ago." It was amazing how clear his memory of that moment was, even if it had just been a vision into their future.

"That never happened!" Leora protested, before turning her face back into Laxus' chest. She refused to let him see her distress. Even she didn't understand why she was acting like this.

"But I remember it clear as day," Laxus pointed out. He wasn't simply going to forget one of the rare times the dragoness seemed to show concern over his well-being.

"It didn't!" Leora shouted into his chest, her hands gripping his jacket collar. She didn't know what had come over her. Why was she reacting like this? It didn't make sense. "In that reality…you died…" It had felt terrible. Like she had failed him.

Laxus was shocked at her outburst, but he soon composed himself. Maybe she did worry about him more than he thought she did. He didn't remember anything after the dragon's jaws had snapped into his body. Did he really die? He pulled her in closer, in a gesture to reassure her that he was very well alive. "Alright. It never happened."

Leora let out a long breath, her hands releasing its death grip on his jacket before dropping back to her sides. Her breathing soon returned to normal. After it did, she once again noticed the position she was in.

What was with everyone and hugging today?

Laxus didn't know what to do as he held the dragoness. All he could think about was how well she molded into his body…how right this felt. He inhaled her scent of wild lightning, with a hint of smoke as his heart pounded within his own chest.

In this moment, it was as if she truly belonged to him.

But a split second later, his heart clenched. For he realized that he had fallen for someone that he couldn't possible have.

There was no way that she'd want him back…

Leora found herself making comparisons as she stood there with her face pressed against his chest, completely surrounded by the smell of fresh lightning from a summer storm. She didn't notice this before, but she felt very…warm. She didn't feel like this earlier when she was standing in Rhaegal's embrace. He was much colder.

She didn't really understand why, but she felt comfortable in Laxus' arms. He seemed to make her forget the entire conversation she had with Rhaegal just minutes before, wiping her anxiety completely from her mind. Even the pulsing mark on her neck seemed inconsequential at the moment.

He felt…safe.

She felt herself relaxing just as that thought passed through her mind. Slowly...her arms began to move.

* * *

"Is she?" Evergreen gasped.

The three of them watched with anticipation as Leora's arms slowly lifted from where they had hung loose at her sides.

Bickslow laughed hysterically, his tongue hanging out as he watched. "Ooo come on kitten!"

Her arms reached forward.

"Almost there…" Freed couldn't believe it, but even he was getting dragged into the excitement.

Her arms slowly wrapped around Laxus' body before pressing into his back.

The Raijinshuu were quite thankful that no one else could hear their cheers of victory over such a small gesture. Laxus' bodyguards certainly were cheering for him in every single way that they could.

* * *

Laxus' mind froze as soon as he felt her returning his embrace. He swore that at this moment his heart was beating faster than in all the battles he's been through in his entire life.

What was she doing?!

Did she possibly feel the same as him? No, that would be ridiculous, he must be hallucinating. Yes. That's what it is. He's hallucinating.

Leora was completely oblivious to the dragon slayer's internal struggle, instead her mind was focused on another confusing fact.

Why was her heart beating so fast?!

She could feel it pounding in her chest, racing at a mile a minute. What was wrong with her? Was she sick? That must be it. She was sick. But dragons didn't exactly get sick…

Maybe it was the Bond. That's it. It's the Bond. It must be doing something weird to her at the moment.

Both stayed like that, silent, each trapped in their own internal thoughts until Leora noticed something. Her eyes furrowed. There was something solid pressing into her left rib bone. Curious, she removed one of her hands from around the dragon slayer's waist to reach towards the object.

Laxus felt strangely disappointed when one of her arms removed itself from his back. Though he froze entirely when she felt her hand trailing along his right hip, a searing heat following in its path. What was she doing?! By the time he realized what she was reaching for it was too late.

"Wait-" Laxus uttered, immediately reaching his own hand towards his jacket pocket.

Leora was intrigued as she felt around in Laxus' jacket pocket. The solid object appeared to be some sort of square box, not much bigger than the size of her palm. To Laxus' horror, she pulled it out to examine it.

Before Laxus could grab back what was sure to be his embarrassment, the dragoness had already opened the dark coloured box with a soft click.

Leora gasped. "It's beautiful." Inside the box, atop a soft, dark cushion, there lay a simple amber stone, slightly smaller than the size of her thumb, shaped like a tear-drop. It was attached to a beautiful intertwining silver chain. Slowly lifting it up, Leora examined it, her eyes sparkling in awe, before turning her head up to look at Laxus with determination.

"I want it."

Quickly snatching from Leora's hand with quite the prominent blush present on his face, Laxus held the necklace up away from her reach. "I-It's not for you."

Meanwhile, the Raijinshuu were freaking out from their spot from the hallway.

"What do you mean it's not for her!"

"You're the one who spent an hour walking back and forth in front of the shop debating on whether to get it!"

"You didn't stop grumbling to yourself until you bought it…"

"Ugh…just give it to her already!"

Slightly annoyed that she couldn't get what she wanted, Leora gave him a slight pout and stared at him with bright pleading golden eyes, a similar shade to the necklace he was holding.

Laxus rolled his eyes at her attempt to persuade him, even though it was definitely working. He wasn't going to lie to himself, he had planned to give it to her.

Not because it meant anything special of course…

He just happened to have passed by it in this store the other day...and he thought looked really nice…but definitely not because it reminded him of her eyes…

So after some...short debating, he bought it. That's it. Nothing special.

But when a sharp glimmer hit his eye, he was reminded of what was currently occupying her neck. His teeth gritted at the sight of the gaudy diamond necklace that she had accepted from that dragon. It bothered him almost just as much as the mark on her neck.

"What do you even want this for?" Laxus asked, his voice betraying his jealousy. "You already have that." Laxus gestured towards the damned necklace.

Leora had already forgotten the diamond necklace, despite the fact that it felt heavy against her chest. Her hand came up and lifted it so she could see it properly. "This?" She reached back to unhook the necklace from her neck, holding it in her palm. It was true that she used to love diamonds. Her and Rhaegal used to raid villages for them. But now…for some reason…

"Diamonds are boring." Leora said, stating her true thoughts. For some reason it didn't hold the same appeal to her as it used to. The necklace then disappeared in a cloud of sparks. She had sent the thing back to her den, where all the rest of her diamond necklaces gathered over the years had gone. "There. Now it's gone."

Laxus snorted, trying to hide his pleasure at seeing how easy it was for the dragoness to get rid that necklace. At least it meant that the thing didn't hold much sentimental value to her. "That still doesn't mean I'm giving it to you." He was visibly relieved that the damned thing was gone. She looked so much better without it.

Leora huffed and reached for it again, but Laxus only lifted it higher. "But it's so beautiful…and unique. I've never had something like that before." Placing her hand on his chest for support, she pushed against him as she tried to reach her other hand higher. She didn't notice how her body pressed against his, and how he shivered at the contact.

"Besides...who else are you going to give it to?" Leora reasoned as she strained to reach. Even with her heels on she was still considerably shorter than the dragon slayer. "I mean, if it was meant for one of the women back in the ballroom, shouldn't you have given it to them by now?"

Laxus' mind had already stopped working the moment her body pressed up to his own. His ears caught the slight giggle she emitted as she attempted to reach for the necklace again. He subconsciously smiled at the sound and lifted it higher just so he could hear it again. She didn't disappoint.

His breath caught in his throat when she finally settled down in defeat, staring up at him with large golden eyes and pouting lips.

"Please, Laxus?" Leora pleaded, unaware of how it would sound to the dragon slayer.

Laxus bit back the groan that threatened to surface, but he couldn't stop the shiver that went down his spine. Why did she have to do things like that to provoke him?

After that, Laxus had no option but to give in. He was afraid that his body would betray him if she had tried anything more. "Fine." He didn't miss the gleam she had in her eyes, nor the smile on her face when he had finally agreed. "Turn around."

Leora obeyed. She lifted her long golden curls, giving Laxus a nice view of the back of her neck. While the mark still bothered him, he managed to ignore it as he reached around and put the necklace on her. He watched as she gently caressed the stone with one of her hands before turning around with the brightest smile he's ever seen. The amber gleamed beautifully in the moonlight, completely complementing the colour of her eyes.

He wondered if she could hear how his heart had yet again skipped another beat. He noted that in the span of this night alone, she had already shown him more emotions than she has had throughout the entire time he had known her. Warmth spread throughout his chest, as he was overjoyed that she had opened up to him, that she finally felt comfortable around him, knowing how she had felt about humans before.

He should be happy with just that…right?

Leora looked at Laxus. He was staring at her again, with a similar expression to the one he had before. It was odd. It felt as if he was looking straight into her soul with his stormy blue eyes. It made her feel vulnerable, but at the same time she also felt something else, a feeling she couldn't quite identify.

Deciding that she should probably snap him out of whatever daze he was in, Leora gave him a smile. "We should probably head back inside; they'll wonder where we went."

The moment she turned towards the hallway, Laxus' heart took over.

He knew he should be happy with just being friends...but...

He just wanted to know.

To know if she remotely felt the same way as he did.

Before his brain could shock him back into reason, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. Before she could react, he pulled her to him, her other hand landing on his chest for balance when she turned towards him. As her face looked up at him with wide, confused eyes, his other hand reached behind her, cradling the back of her head just above the nape of her neck. His fingers threaded through her hair as he pulled her up to him just as he bent down.

 _He just wanted to know._

His eyes closed.

Three loud gasps failed to penetrate the rune barrier.

* * *

Her lips…were soft.

There were so many other words that Laxus' brain could've used to describe the situation, had it been working. It could've described how warm and supple her lips felt against his. How the heat from her body penetrated into him as she pressed just gently against him, warming him to the bones. How her scent completely surrounded him. How his heart beat at a mile a minute trying to supply his brain with enough blood to think.

How her lips had remained still, even when he had pressed further…

How her hand had remained frozen against his chest…

How her body had stiffened…

His eyes opened.

Her wide open eyes had stared back at him in shock, as if unable to process his actions.

And with that his fantasy shattered. He pulled back, immediately placing distance between them. She remained still as a rock.

Laxus looked away ashamed. His heart clenched in excruciating pain. At that moment, he felt as if a heavy weight had landed on his chest, making him unable to breathe.

Guess he had his answer.

"I-I'm going to head back first." Laxus quickly uttered. He ushered himself away from the balcony, closing the doors behind him with a loud slam.

The Raijinshuu stiffened as Laxus stalked by them. Remaining unseen, they watched him leave with forlorn expressions.

"I'll go to him," Freed announced. Laxus probably shouldn't be alone right now. He was about to leave the rune barrier, but Evergreen suddenly caught his sleeve.

"Wait," Evergreen said. She was still facing the balcony where the dragoness stood. Leora had turned to face the hallway as she watched Laxus leave, but she had made no move to follow him. Freed turned to look as well, along with Bickslow. Their moods were melancholy after seeing their leader completely rejected, but then…

Their eyes followed the movements of her hands as one slowly brought itself up to gently touch her lips, while the other pressed against her heart. If it wasn't for the light from the moon, they would have missed it, but at this moment it had illuminated her face perfectly.

Freed whispered in awe. "She's…blushing."

Evergreen grinned. "Yes she most certainly is."

"Too bad the boss didn't stay to see that," Bickslow pointed out, before grunting in pain when Evergreen elbowed him in the ribs.

"It doesn't matter. This means he has a chance!" Evergreen exclaimed, her mood lifting tremendously.

The other two, bright smiles on their faces, agreed.

* * *

Her mind had gone blank the moment his lips had connected to hers and had stayed blank until the dragon slayer had left her.

What just happened...

That was the only thing floating through Leora's mind as she tried to comprehend the past few moments. All she knew was that her face felt unnaturally hot, her lips tingled and her heart was pounding much faster than it should be.

As she sorted through her memories, but all she could think of was the fact that-

His lips were…warm.

Her tongue peeked out slowly to lick at her own lips. There was an unfamiliar smoky taste lingering on them. One that she didn't quite mind…

By now her heart was beating so loudly within her own ears she figured there was something wrong with her. She wondered why this second kiss felt different than the one Rhaegal forced upon her just earlier. She didn't quite react like this. In fact…she had kind of forgotten what that kiss even felt like.

Perhaps it had something to do with the Bond again.

Yes. That made the most sense. The Bond must be doing something weird to her.

"I should probably head back," Leora whispered to herself. But she was so out of it that she didn't notice that the glass doors had been closed when Laxus left. With a loud crash she walked straight into the doors, slight pain shooting into her forehead. "Ow…"

The Raijinshuu simply blinked. Once at how uncharacteristic it was for the dragoness to walk carelessly into a door and twice at how fast Laxus could stalk himself back to the balcony after hearing the noise.

Despite his heart warning against him turning back, Laxus returned as soon as he heard the loud crash. Sighing in frustration, he knew exactly what had happened as soon as he saw the slightly broken doors and the dragoness holding a hand to her forehead. Throwing the doors back open, he grabbed her wrist and proceeded to drag her back towards the ballroom. "Come on."

Seeing the scowl on Laxus' face seemed to have snapped Leora out of whatever trance she was in. Her heart rate returned to normal and her cheeks cooled.

It was definitely just the Bond.

Her lips still tingled slightly, but she ignored it.

When they reached the ballroom, the chaos that it was in when Leora had been dragged away seemed to have calmed down. The party was back in full swing and a gentle waltz was playing in the background. No one seemed to have noticed that they were gone.

A few moments after returning, the same squealing girls returned to Laxus' side, having forgotten all about the handsome stranger they were gushing about just earlier.

For some unknown reason, Leora found herself frowning at the sight of those girls hovering over the dragon slayer, an odd feeling welling up in her chest. While Laxus paid no attention to the girls, he didn't pay much attention to her either.

Well that's boring. She could fix that.

Laxus had planned to let go of the dragoness so he could sulk in a corner in peace, away from any sort of female interaction, but before he could do so he found himself being pulled in the direction of the dance floor.

"We're going to dance!" Leora announced happily.

Laxus immediately dug his heels into the ground. "Out of the question Sunshine. I don't dance."

But Leora saw right through him. Sometimes it amazed him how well she could do that. "Well, that's probably because you don't know how. Come, I'll teach you."

Laxus raised his brow. "Why…?"

She turned around with another radiant smile. "Because we're friends."

Right. Friends.

Laxus couldn't stop the stab of pain he felt from her words, but he let it go, allowing himself to be dragged forwards. He didn't want to do anything that would cause that beautiful smile to disappear.

As he stumbled around on the dance floor, completely missing the beat, stepping on Leora's toes, Laxus realized something.

As he watched her beautiful hair twirl around when she did, as he caught her smile when he did something right, as he heard her bright laughter when he tripped over his own feet, he realized that he was happy with being just friends…

Because, had they not been, he wouldn't be having this wonderful moment with her right now.

* * *

The Raijinshuu returned to the ballroom soon after the lightning duo. When they scanned the room for their two favourite people they noticed something interesting.

"Is Laxus dancing?!" Bickslow gawked, his jaw wide open in shock.

"I believe so…" Evergreen replied, completely amazed.

"But he's so…" Freed couldn't quite finish his sentence. Having learned most forms of dance, the waltz was considered one of the easiest in his opinion. But for the sake of his leader's pride, he won't voice his opinion.

"Mmm…You don't have to deny it Freed. My grandson is quite terrible at it." Makarov coughed in embarrassment, having suddenly appeared by the Raijinshuu.

Mavis, who had also shown up unexpectedly, could only nod in agreement, though on the inside she was smiling. It seems as though her friend had finally opened up to Laxus, and she was completely elated at that fact.

The pair seemed unaware to the looks they were receiving as they danced, completely absorbed in their own world.

Nor did they hear the whispers from the crowd.

"I take it back, now _they_ look like the perfect couple…"

* * *

That night, after the ball had come to an end, Leora found herself unable to sleep as she lay on her bed in the Honeybone Inn. She thought about the long week that was the Grand Magic Games, starting from the moment she left the train on the morning of the preliminaries all the way to the end of the ball. She smiled as she recalled all the memories she shared...with her nakama.

She wasn't afraid to say it anymore.

At one point she found herself running the events of the night over and over again in her head. Some she understood, while others she would leave until later to decipher. However, after talking to Rhaegal earlier this evening, she found herself reminiscing on memories of the past.

Her thoughts centralized around what had happened that fateful day _after_ Rhaegal had left.

xXx

 _Once Rhaegal had disappeared from sight, she turned back around and headed up the hill._

 _Zeref, who was leaning against the now perished tree, panicked when he saw her._

" _Don't come any closer!" He shouted, holding out a hand in front of him._

 _She didn't listen. Instead she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around him. She had grown taller over the years, but her head still only reached the middle of his chest._

" _It's fine, Zeref." Her voice was soothing and gentle. "You can't hurt me. Isn't that why you came for me in the first place?"_

 _She looked up at him with a soft smile. "Because I was special?"_

 _She took his hand, before taking a quick glance back at the blackened valley. It would take years for vegetation to grow there once more. It surprised her how quickly things could change in a moment's notice._

" _Let's go."_

 _This time it was her turn to lead the black mage._

xXx

It was a day she'd never forget. For years she would ponder as to why that day had happened. What had triggered Zeref's curse again? There was no one else near him besides her and Rhaegal in the valley. Then one day, randomly ten years later it had finally hit her. And it was for that very reason that she would never forget this memory.

Her hand lifted to hover over her left eye.

Nor would she ever forget the choice she had made soon afterwards.

She had realized that that day was the day that Zeref began to value life once more.

And…it was her and Rhaegal who had caused that.

She smiled as she leaned the back of her head against the wall.

Zeref started to care again…because of them…

* * *

 _They had been taking a break from all the travelling they had done for the past couple of days. He leaned against a thriving oak tree while the other two played in the valley below. The shade from the tree shielded him from the blazing sun, while the gentle breeze brushed against his skin giving him a sense of peace._

 _He watched with a smile as the two dragons argued, before it turned into a friendly wrestling match. Something that was a rather common occurrence, with today being no exception. He felt his heart warm as he heard their giggles and laughter._

 _After a while, it seemed as though Leora had won the match yet again._

 _She turned around with a radiant smile, causing his heart to falter for a moment._

 _"Did you see Zeref! I won!"_

 _For a moment, Zeref didn't see a pair of dragons who he had taken in with an ulterior motive. No in that moment, he finally acknowledged that they meant more to him than that._

 _He couldn't hold back the smile he gave her._

 _To him, they were something akin to...family._

 _But the moment he had that thought, everything changed._

 _His face twisted in a mixture of horror and pain as he felt the darkness welling inside him, punishing him for even daring to have these thoughts. He tried to push them back into the crevices of his mind, but it was too late. The curse had acted up again, and as a contradiction to his feelings towards the two dragons, it now forced him to kill them._

 _"R-Run..." he whispered._

 _With a heavy pulse, the wave of death spread out from his body, killing everything in his path. Darkness surrounded him, everything turned a deathly shade of black. His hands came up to grab his head as it throbbed painfully. His entire body shook._

 _It's happening again._

 _Before he could even issue another warning, another wave of predation washed over the field._ _He watched with pain as Rhaegal took to the skies and disappeared from sight, not even allowing himself to feel relief that he was still alive. It was his fault. He had forced him to leave…_

 _He leaned with his back against the perished tree, breathing heavily. The one that he had just killed. Why did this always happen to him?_

 _He panicked when he saw her approaching him from the valley._

" _Don't come any closer!" He shouted, holding out a hand in front of him. He didn't to hurt her too._

 _But she didn't listen. Instead she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around him. She had grown taller over the years, but her head still only reached the middle of his chest._

" _It's fine, Zeref." Her voice was soothing and gentle and calmed his rapidly beating heart slightly. "You can't hurt me. Isn't that why you came for me in the first place?"_

 _She looked up at him with a soft smile. "Because I was special?"_

 _Special._

 _That's right. He had sought her out because of…what she was. Because his curse wouldn't affect her the way it affected every other living being around him._

 _He looked down at her. Her golden hair reflected the sun…except for a few streaks of black that tainted its ethereal beauty. Though it was her eyes, as she looked up at him with her soft smile, that always got to him._

 _One of them had a deep golden iris with a black slitted pupil._

 _The other was...the complete opposite…pitch black with only a tinge of gold in the form of its slitted pupil._

 _It was a constant reminder that she had the potential to be more dangerous than he could ever be._

 _She took his hand, and he followed her gaze back to the blackened valley. It would take years for vegetation to grow there once more. It never failed to amaze him how destructive his curse was._

" _Let's go."_

 _This time it was her turn to lead him._

 _His little dragon. Though…that wasn't exactly correct._

 _She was most certainly…special._

xXx

Zeref sat up, breathing gently as he woke up from his dream. It was a familiar dream, one he dreamt of often. It was an important day after all. It was the day he began to value life once again. However, that had all changed seven years ago on Tenroujima.

From that day forth he had chosen a different route.

As he looked to the bright moon and shining stars of the night he thought of his own brewing plans.

 _Soon, little dragon._

 _Soon._

* * *

 _ **A/N: So this was Part II of my Grand Magic Ball scene.**_ _ **For those who have waited for so long for it...aaahhhh they finally kissed! (Even though Leora had no idea what was going on LOL). To be honest, at first I wasn't going to put that in, but I couldn't resist when I pictured the perfect moment. Hopefully it was as perfect for you as it was for me (and the Raijinshuu! LOL I couldn't resist having them eavesdrop, their reactions were too cute)! I also had so much fun imagining Rhaegal and his relationship with Leora as well as hashing out their relationship to Zeref. I really wanted to make their characters and relationships believable so hopefully its working.**_

 _ **Also, this officially ends Arc II of Taming a Dragon! I'd like to thank all the people that have kept up with me for so long, who have reviewed, faved and followed this story. Honestly your thoughts on this story really encourage me to keep writing so thank you so much!**_

 _ **The next arc will be less action focused and more on relationship building yaay (cause I can tell you that Laxus is definitely not going to want to stay in the friendzone for long). I know their development has been slow, but honestly it takes a lot to go from wanting to kill someone to finally liking someone, especially if they aren't even the same species as you (so Leora still has a lot to work out). I still have so much more imagination for this story so bare with me if it gets long!**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_

 _ **P.S. For those who are wondering what 'the other half' is (if you know what I'm talking about), I've been attempting to leave hints throughout this entire story so maybe by now you'll have a hunch. For those that haven't figured it out, you'll be left in the dark for quite a while longer cause I'm not touching that fact until much later.**_


	23. Arc III-23: Take what is yours

**Chapter 23**

"Ah! This feels great!" Lucy exclaimed as she stretched out in the steamy waters.

"Ah," Cana agreed with a lethargic smile as she leaned against the edge of the bath. "It's great that we have this public bath in the guild."

"Mmm!" The other girls agreed as well.

"Too bad the others couldn't join us," Lisanna pouted.

"That's true, everyone's been taking jobs lately haven't they," Lucy pointed out.

Mira nodded. "We've been quite popular after the Grand Magic Games. I can't believe that it's only been a week!"

"Mmm and it has been great just relaxing," Cana sighed, sinking further into the hot water.

"I agree," Lucy smiled. "Though it's weird. Natsu and Gray have been going on a lot of missions by themselves…"

On the other side of the divider in the guild's public bath, the guys could perfectly hear the girls' conversations.

Warren smiled. "Well, I guess it goes to show those two have matured a little."

Max was unconvinced. "We'll see about that…"

"Knowing Natsu-nii, I'm sure its going well." Romeo expressed with a confident smile.

Elfman burst out of the spring water with a loud splash. "Because he's a man!"

"What does that even mean?!"

Over by the side, Laxus sighed in annoyance. "Jeez. How can a guy relax in this bath?"

"I'll wash your back, Laxus," Freed offered with glimmering eyes. It's been a while since he has been able to service Laxus like this.

Laxus nodded. "Okay, much obliged."

Freed let out a bright smile. "You're in good hands." He proceeded to give Laxus the best back wash plus massage that he's ever given. Only the best for Laxus after all.

Bickslow noticed and walked over hoping to get a turn as well. "Nice. I'm next in line."

Freed shot him a dirty glare. "Do it yourself."

Bickslow deadpanned. "Oi, Oi…"

Cana's voice drifted in from the other side, perking Bickslow's interest. "By the way, Lucy…"

"What?" Lucy asked.

Cana's voice sounded suggestive. "Is it true that Natsu fondled your boobs?"

The guys in the male hot spring all sank down with red blushes on their faces. This was too much information for their tastes.

The other girls in the bath all stared at Lucy with wide eyes and bright pink blushes.

"Oh, dear," Mira smiled, her matchmaking gears already spinning in her mind.

"N-No! He suddenly…" Lucy protested.

"I don't care about that." Cana gave Lucy a suggestive smile. "Here, let's re-enact what happened."

"Hey! What are you…?! Cana!"

The guys on the other side had little trouble imagining what was happening given the noises coming from the girls' end. Many had to sink further into the bath to hide their…growing problems.

"What is going on over there…" Laxus grumbled.

"Don't worry about them, Laxus!" Freed exclaimed with a smile. He was having the time of his life, soaping up Laxus' back.

Cana's voice drifted back over. "Hey…I think there's someone else's boobs I haven't tried out."

"Leora-chaaan…"

Laxus immediately stiffened up. Leora was over there as well? When did she get there?! Moments later he heard Leora's voice as well.

"Yes?…oh!"

"Ohhh they're so soft and perky!"

Laxus eye twitched in annoyance. Though on the inside he had to agree with Cana. They were definitely soft and perky…

"Really?..." Leora asked while staring down at her chest. She too went to grasp her own breasts. "I don't really get the appeal…"

"Haa? How could you not?" Cana asked, bewildered. "Does this mean you've never had a man grab your chest before?!"

"A man?..." Leora repeated, before shaking her head. "No. Why would I want that?"

Laxus really wanted to send a glare through the dividing screen. He snorted to himself in annoyance. She enjoyed it enough when he-

He immediately shook his head of those thoughts. He didn't need his body reacting to those images here. Besides, he shouldn't be thinking of those things to begin with.

"N-Not even that?!" Cana exclaimed. "Does this mean you're a virgin?" The other girls could only stare at the pair with heavy blushes on their faces. On the other side, it took all their might for the guys in the bath to keep their noses from bleeding. A certain dragon slayer almost choked up at that statement.

Leora responded with no hesitation. "No. That's not correct either." Laxus' mood instantly shifted. Freed furrowed his brow at his leader's sudden foul mood. He had been so absorbed in catering to Laxus that he hadn't been paying attention to the conversation. Bickslow on the other hand was staring quite hard at the screen that divided the two, wondering what the dragoness would say next.

"If not a man then…are you into women?!" Bickslow had to hold his laugh. Now _that_ would be interesting.

Leora shook her head as well. She was quite confused. "Why would I have sex with a human?"

The entire public bath fell into silence, with only the sound of the shifting water filling the room. They were suddenly all made aware of how inhuman the dragoness was.

"Then who…or what?" Levy asked timidly.

Now this Leora paused at. Her eyes flickered down towards water. "T-That's not important. It was two hundred years ago…" She had a very…wild phase during that time. Wyverns, demons…celestial spirits, you name she probably tried it.

Laxus clenched his hand into a fist, cursing himself for listening so intently. He shouldn't be caring about this anyway. She was just a friend. Just a friend.

"This was two hundred years ago?" Lisanna asked. "So does this mean for the past two hundred years you haven't…" Though she couldn't quite finish the question without a blush on her face.

Leora paused for a moment before answering. "No, I didn't have the time." Nor the interest.

"No sex for two hundred years…" Cana whispered amazed. "Can't imagine what that would be like…"

Laxus had been caught up on that point as well. That meant that after two hundred years, her interaction with him was the first…No. He was not going there.

"So why didn't you do it with humans?" Cana asked, now thoroughly intrigued by this conversation. "Not to your taste?"

Leora snorted at how ironic that question was. "Quite the opposite actually. In fact, humans tasted really good." She couldn't help but laugh at their horrified expressions on their faces. "Don't worry, I haven't fed on humans in two hundred years."

"Oh…"

Evergreen, who had been sitting silently next to the dragoness, stared at the divider, knowing who was on the other side and knowing that he had heard. It doesn't look for Laxus at the moment. She decided to interject. "Then what about now? What do you think about being with a human now?"

Leora furrowed her brow, slightly confused as to why the girls were asking her so many questions today. "Well, being with a human is taboo."

Laxus' heart clenched slightly as he was reminded of how impossible his feelings for the dragoness were. She would never think to be with a human.

"But who's there to tell you its taboo anymore?" Evergreen felt a little bad for phrasing it like that, but she was doing this for Laxus. She wasn't hallucinating that night of the ball. She knew what she saw. Laxus had a chance. The Raijinshuu just needed to create that chance.

"Oh…I don't know…" Leora sank further into the water.

Before Leora could say anything else, Levy interjected. "I didn't notice it until recently, but is the reason because you're already mated?"

"WHAT?!" All the girls shouted, while Laxus immediately turned towards the divider in shock, his heart dropping immediately with that statement.

"Huh?" Leora looked at Levy with confusion.

Levy pointed towards the column of Leora's neck. "That mark on your neck. It's a mating mark isn't it?"

"Oh that," Leora reached a hand up to touch the almost faded mark. "…Something like that."

Laxus froze. It felt like someone just dumped a bucket full of ice cold water over his body. That mark. The one that he had felt so uneasy about…was a mating mark?! That bastard dragon…

Bickslow backed up slightly when sparks started to surround Laxus' body...

"Don't worry," Leora stated. "It'll probably disappear in the next day or two." She already sensed that most of Rhaegal's power had dissipated from her system.

Levy looked confused. "B-But Gajeel said-" She immediately placed her hand to her mouth before her face turned a bright tomato shade.

Leora didn't miss the slip up. A giant grin appeared on her face. "Gajeel said what?" Levy only sank further into the water while Leora waded closer. "He said it was permanent, didn't he?" She stopped and placed her hands on her hips. "Well he's not wrong."

"Then how?-"

"Cause the process is different for dragon slayers than it is for real dragons," Leora explained. "It's a little more complicated than this, but basically you can't mark him back, so for human mates, the mark needs to be permanent to complete the mating." Leora's lip curled, revealing a fang. "But I can mark back."

"So you can choose…" Levy said, her voice heavy with contemplation.

"Yes."

Evergreen narrowed her eyes. Leora only got that mark after her disappearance the night of the Grand Magic Ball. She was pretty sure it wasn't Laxus, so that only left…that dark dragon. "So that mark is-"

"It's something of a mark of…interest." Leora said, trying to explain something that was instinctual. The interested male will often mark the female along with an injection of his power. If the female accepts his power and wishes to proceed with mating, then she marks him back. If not, the female's body rejects it, which is what is currently happening with Rhaegal's mark. "It isn't complete until I mark him back."

"So…if you aren't interested?" Levy asked.

"My body will reject it." Leora explained.

"So since its fading then…" Lucy said.

"My body is rejecting it, yes." Leora confirmed, her hand reaching up to touch the mark again.

Laxus couldn't help but let out a tiny sigh of relief. One that Freed had caught onto.

"How long does it usually take?" Mira asked, curious.

Leora sighed. "It depends on how much her body rejects the mark."

"How fast can a rejection be?" Evergreen asked, her arms crossed over her chest. This was important.

"The fastest?" Leora had to think. "Probably instantaneous."

Evergreen furrowed her brow. Which meant that Leora didn't completely reject that dragon right away. It was something that the boys had caught onto as well.

"I think that's enough about me," Leora said, feeling a little uncomfortable with the direction that this conversation was headed. She decided to focus her attention back on Levy. "I did remember someone mentioning a certain dragon slayer…"

Levy turned a tomato shade as the others turned back to her.

Laxus tuned out again as soon the girls started badgering Levy. He internally sighed, continuing to remind himself that he shouldn't want anything more from the dragoness. She made it clear just now that she had no intention of wanting a human…

Bickslow stared at his obviously love-struck leader. Now that Evergreen had made a move it was his turn.

* * *

Another day at Fairy Tail comes with another night of drinking at the guild.

"Hey Kitten!" Bickslow shouted as he walked over to where Leora and Laxus were sitting, grinning as he caught another one of his boss' glares at the lovely nickname he had for the dragoness. In his hand was a mug of beer and yet another familiar bottle of liquor.

Leora turned around and perked up when she saw that familiar bottle again.

"No." Laxus said as soon as he saw the bottle of Hellfire. He didn't feel like taking care of a drunk dragoness tonight…

"Hey Laxus…loosen up!" Bickslow whined. "We just won the Grand Magic Games, we need to celebrate!"

Laxus gave him a dull look. "We have been celebrating. In fact, there have been celebrations every night for the past while."

"Well, _we_ have been celebrating," Bickslow said, while gesturing to himself and the dragon slayer. "But _she_ hasn't." The seith mage pointed to the dragoness, who was still staring at the bottle.

Before Laxus could protest any further, Leora answered, causing Bickslow's grin to grow ever wider. "You're right. I haven't."

Laxus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, mentally preparing himself for the night…

Bickslow grinned darkly. A woman's lips are always looser under the influence of alcohol. Hopefully he'll get more information from the dragoness tonight. Maybe even about the tiny little blush she had on the night of the Grand Magic Ball.

Readying his beer, he poured a shot of Hellfire for the dragoness. Clinking glasses together, the pair downed their respective alcohols, Bickslow feeling the familiar burn down his throat.

Oh the things he does for his leader.

A couple of shots later and the warm, fuzzy feeling was back for Leora. When she reached for the bottle once more, a hand grabbed it away.

"That's enough," Laxus grunted as he moved the bottle away from her reach.

Leora pouted and reached for it again, but Laxus only moved the bottle further away. She leaned forward, the amber necklace that she always wore now also moving with her. But her body seemed heavier than usual and she ended up falling forward…onto something hard.

Laxus choked up when the dragoness had practically fallen into his lap.

"You're welcome boss," a slightly tipsy Bickslow winked from across the table. Laxus only shot him a glare.

"What are you trying to do Bicks?" Laxus demanded, his voice rough as he placed the bottle of liquor far away from Leora's reach. The dragoness was currently trying to get back up and her squirming definitely wasn't doing him any good.

Bickslow tsked. "Laxus…we all know that you lik-" The dark glare Laxus shot him while covering the dragoness' ears with his hands had him shutting up.

Laxus' voice was low. "Stop, Bicks. You don't know what you're doing." Leora's hands were now trying to pull his hands away, but given her current state of intoxication she wasn't a match for his strength.

"So you're just going to let things continue as is?" Bickslow asked, his voice showing his displeasure.

"It's for the best," Laxus grumbled into his beer. "Less complicated."

"The Laxus I know wouldn't give up so easily like that," Bickslow pointed out, slight anger and annoyance present in his tone. No. The Laxus he knew would be fighting to get what he wants. Not simply let it walk away.

Leora finally managed to get up and free, but she ended up sitting on something that didn't quite feel like the bench. Her brain was still fuzzy as she stared across the table at two grinning Bickslows. Odd…she didn't know he knew how to duplicate himself…

She tried to move towards something that felt more like the bench, but something held her down.

"Oi, stop squirming," Laxus commanded, his voice deep and throaty. His lower half was already starting to react to her movement.

Leora pouted before she hiccupped. "Hai…" She said yes even though she wasn't quite sure who she was saying yes to.

Bickslow decided that he wasn't done having fun yet. He leaned forward towards the dragoness who was still sitting on Laxus' lap like it was nothing special. "Hey Kitten…"

"Yesss Bickslowsss?" Leora slurred, trying to keep her balance. Thankfully something was holding her still.

Bicklows? Bickslow tried to hold down his laughter. Boy was the dragoness drunk tonight. All the better. He pointed towards her chest. "That's a pretty necklace you've got there."

Laxus flushed in embarrassment. Why the hell is Bickslow bringing that up now?

Leora glanced down at the amber necklace. "Mmm! It's beautiful!" Her words caused Laxus to flush even darker. Thankfully he had the alcohol to blame for his blush.

"It sure is," Bickslow nodded in agreement, his tongue hanging out as he grinned widely. "Where did you get it?" He ignored the slight shock to the ass that Laxus sent him in warning.

"I made Laxus give it to me!" Leora exclaimed proudly. Behind her, Laxus choked on the beer he was drinking. Bickslow howled in laughter. He himself knew exactly what had happened, remembering what he had seen as he hid with the Raijinshuu that night. Though, Laxus didn't need to know that he knew.

Bickslow tried to build on the moment he already had. "Hey, Leora-chan. Another random question then," Bickslow smirked. "Do you have anyone you like?"

If only looks could kill, Bickslow would've already been dead from the glare Laxus sent him from behind Leora.

"Like…" Leora sounded like she was actually thinking about it, before she sat straighter. "Yes!"

Laxus froze while Bickslow only sported a wider grin. "Really? Who?"

"Umm…" Leora said slowly, the alcohol making her brain work much slower than she was used to. "Umm…Mavis!"

The two males deadpanned.

"And…Levy…and Lucy…Natsu…Gray…Erza…"

"Hey, what about us?" Bickslow asked, slightly annoyed that they haven't been mentioned yet, despite her already long list.

"Huh?" Leora said, her brows furrowing. "I thought you already knew that I liked you. You…Ever…Freed…and Laxus!"

Laxus sighed. Even though he knew it wasn't in the context that he wanted, he couldn't help but feel happy hearing her statement.

Bickslow smiled. Guess the little dragon didn't forget about them after all. "But, Leora-chaan. I'm not talking about that kind of like; I'm talking about the romantic kind of like."

"Oi, Bicks," Laxus cut in. "That's enough."

But Leora seemed to have an answer for that as well. "Romantic kind of like…nope!"

Laxus only shot Bickslow a dull look, while the seith mage glanced back with a sheepish apologetic look.

Leora didn't seem to notice their internal conversation. "I don't have time for stuff like that…*hiccup*…I don't need distractions."

"What do you mean by that?" Laxus butted in as he leaned forward, his voice rough.

Leora giggled. Something was tickling her ear. Also the second Bickslow's voice is so different from the first one. "I mean what I mean. I only have one goal-" For a moment, her voice sobered up and grew serious. "-to kill Acnologia. Aside from that, I don't have time to think of anything else."

Laxus stared at Bickslow's shocked face. He already knew of this fact, but this was probably the first time the seith mage had heard of this. Laxus looked down at the blonde still sitting in his lap. "And what happens after that?"

"After that?..." Leora blinked. "I haven't thought that far…"

"Well-"

"Ahh," Leora complained. "Enough about me!" She hiccupped, before leaning forward towards Bickslow who had recovered from his shock. "What about you?"

"W-What?" Bickslow stammered, backing up from the inquisitive dragon who was staring at him with a creepy smile.

"Do you like anyone?"

"I-I don't," Bickslow exclaimed.

"Oh…?" Leora slurred. "Alright then…" The dragoness turned towards another table and shouted. "Canaaaaaa! Bickslow said he wants to challenge you to drinking duel!"

"W-What?!" Bickslow cried. That's suicide! He turned back to glare at the dragoness who was chuckling with an evil laugh. Before Bickslow could find a reason to back down, the card mage was already over by their table with two new barrels of beer.

"One down, one more to go…" Leora mumbled to herself as she finally slid herself off of the oddly shaped chair she was sitting on, back to the bench she was used to. Laxus, slightly disappointed that the dragoness had left his lap, glanced down at the dragoness, wondering what she was talking about.

Somehow Leora managed to find the bottle of Hellfire as Bickslow was in the middle of his drinking match with Cana. Another couple of shots and a nearly passed out Bickslow later, Leora was resting her oddly heavy head on one palm as she stared across the guild with furrowed brows, where Levy was sitting alone with Lily. The blue haired mage was also leaning on her palm, but she was staring in a different direction. Leora slowly followed her gaze until it rested on the iron dragon slayer sitting a couple of tables away. The dragoness watched as Levy sighed.

Well that wasn't good. Leora didn't like it when Levy was sad. She was going to fix it.

Laxus was also following Leora's gaze, but he didn't quite get what was so interesting about Levy and Gajeel. "What are you staring at?"

"Laxusss..." Leora slurred, stretching out his name. Laxus definitely didn't notice how she suggestive that had sounded for a second. And his body definitely didn't react positively to that. "You're a bakaa you know?"

"Hah?!" Laxus replied, turning towards the dragoness next to him with an annoyed scowl.

"You're supposed to be the next Master," Leora hiccupped. "And! You're bound to a great dragon such as myself." She made a grand gesture while pointing to herself, which only caused Laxus to roll his eyes. "And yet you can't see what is happening in your own guild?"

Laxus sighed. _It's you who can't see…Sunshine._ Though, he figured it was best that she didn't notice his feelings for her. Like he mentioned to Bickslow, that would make things much simpler. They'd remain comrades, that's all.

Leora suddenly burst up from the bench and started to leave their table.

"Oi, where are you going?" Laxus called out.

Leora turned around with a smile. "You know. I've realized that human's lives are very short. Thus, I've figured that opportunities shouldn't be wasted."

Laxus narrowed his eyes in understanding. "You shouldn't meddle in their business."

"If not me than who?" Leora asked as she placed her hands on her hips. "It's not as if that stubborn baka is going to do something. Even after all the other things I've already done." She's meddled with his scent marking and cuddled up to the solid script mage on multiple occasions, all to make the iron dragon slayer jealous and to encourage him to claim what he had already wanted to lay claim to. But of course, dragon slayers are stubborn.

Bickslow giggled over by the end of the table, he's face already lying on the table. "I knowww of of another stubborn bakaaa who won't do anything." He cried out when a punch landed on the back of his head.

"Shut up, Bicks." Laxus grumbled. By the time he had turned back around, Leora was already stumbling over to where Gajeel was sitting.

"What are you doing here?" Gajeel grumbled from his beer as he stared at the dragoness who was hovering over his table.

"Come," Leora demanded, her voice low.

"Who says I have to go just because you said so?" Gajeel argued, but with a flash of her fangs and a low threatening growl he paled. "F-Fine. Don't have to flash your alpha status you know."

Leora scoffed, despite the fact that the world was still spinning slightly. "You best remember it."

Laxus watched, his mood falling with each second, as Leora grabbed Gajeel and proceeded to drag the iron dragon slayer kicking and screaming out the guild doors. While the others had noticed the commotion, they dismissed the action for another one of the dragoness' odd behaviours. Though there was a blue-haired mage who stared at the door, just as he was, wondering what was going on out there.

As soon as Leora dragged Gajeel out the door, she slammed him against the side wall of the guild, a clawed hand against his chest.

"O-Oi!" Gajeel exclaimed. "What are you doing?" He cringed. The dragoness reeked of alcohol at the moment.

"You," Leora slurred, as she poked hard at Gajeel's chest with one pointed claw. "You're making Levy sad."

"H-How is this any of your business?" Gajeel growled.

"Levy is my special friend," Leora said, staring up at Gajeel with a dark glare. "She was the first one to accept me here for what I was." She poked at Gajeel's chest to stress each of her next words with heavy lidded eyes. "You. Are. Making. Her. Sad."

"You think I don't know that!" Gajeel shouted in frustration, his hands gripping into fists. "But she deserves someone better than a mess up like me."

Leora stared at him with a flat face, though her eyes were slightly unfocused. "Baaaaka. *hiccup* It's not up to you to decide that. Don't take Levy's choice away from her."

Gajeel could only look at Leora in shock over her words.

Leora continued. "Youuu've already gone up to the point where you've discussed the subject of maaating. I think you already know how she feels."

"H-How did you know that we-" Gajeel stuttered with a blush on his face.

Leora smirked. "I'm alllll knowing. *hiccup*"

Gajeel growled. "It's not that simple. I don't want to force her into something permanent. Besides, you already know how that feels. What are you going to do about that?" He pointed to the fading mark on Leora's neck.

Leora flinched back, knowing what he was insinuating at. "It'll disappear by tonight. That's not the point-"

"You know whoever did that to you isn't going to give up just because you've rejected him once," Gajeel stared at her with narrowed eyes. He didn't like the look of that mark on the dragoness' skin. He especially didn't like the fact that it was obviously forced. That was what he had wanted to avoid with Levy. He wanted her to know exactly what she was getting into.

In that moment, Leora lost all the fight in her, collapsing against the iron dragon slayer, head buried into his chest, her necklace hitting his chest as well. "I…know. I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

Gajeel sighed, before awkwardly patting the dragoness on the top of her head. That seemed to have snapped Leora out of her daze for she immediately fixated her glare upon him again.

"I'm not done with you," Leora growled. "You need to tell her-"

Gajeel groaned in annoyance. "I already said that I'm not going to-"

"Hey," Leora retorted, her voice low as she cut him off. "You're a terrible dragon you know."

"What?!" Gajeel growled. First she was meddling in his love life, and now she was insulting his dragonhood? What was wrong with her tonight? Just how much alcohol was going through her head right now?

"You heard me," Leora said, taking a step back and heading for the guild door. "Dragons are selfish creatures. If they want something. They'll take it. They don't sit sulking in some corner hoping for some miracle to happen." She turned back in that moment to point at Gajeel. "You are a terrible dragon. You better shape up before someone else takes her for herself." And with that she flashed him a dangerous smirk before skipping back inside.

Gajeel glared at the empty space that the dragoness had left behind. He didn't like that dangerous smile she gave him as she left. Worried, he walked back to the entrance of the guild only to see the dragoness cozying up with Levy. He growled low.

"Oh Leora, what are you doing here?" Levy asked as she was once again lifted and placed into Leora's lap. She sighed when the dragoness started cuddling against her. "I know what you are doing…it's not going to work on him."

Even Lily grumbled from his seat on the table. "He's too stubborn."

Leora frowned against Levy's neck. They were right. She knew that the iron dragon slayer was watching and yet he made no move besides standing there growling as if someone had stolen his favourite toy.

"I don't like seeing you sad Levy…" Leora whispered solemnly against Levy's neck. Sensing Levy's shiver she knew that the blue-haired mage wished that it was someone else that was doing this. Well, she was going to do something about that. "Do you trust me?"

Levy nodded. She trusted the dragoness. Ever since the beginning. "Yes."

Leora smiled, before turning Levy around so that a certain iron dragon slayer had a clear view of what she was about to do. No one else was paying attention to them except for him.

Though there was another dragon slayer that was glaring intently at the dragoness, even though she didn't notice.

Laxus' inner dragon was once again clawing at its cage. What the hell was she doing?! Even though Levy was obviously a woman, for some reason it still bothered the hell out of him. He froze when he watched her jaws open, her fangs elongating. No. She wasn't going to do that was she?

Gajeel stood by the entrance with his hands balled into fists. She wasn't going to do it. That would be ridiculous. She's just trying to provoke him…

Why the hell is Levy letting her do this?!

Leora huffed against Levy's neck when she noticed no movement from Gajeel even though she was this close to marking the blue-haired mage. Guess she'll have to go for the full show.

Laxus started growling as soon as he saw the sparks of lightning surrounding Leora's fangs. He was about to leap from his table towards her, but it seems as if someone else had already beaten him to the punch. Literally.

Leora sensed the attack coming, but at that moment, the alcohol seemed to kick in again, completely slowing down her reflexes. With a shocked cry, the iron club hit her right in the head, knocking her back onto the floor, while Levy fell forward.

Even though Gajeel was supposed to be shocked that he had actually struck the dragoness, which everyone else in the room currently was, his inner dragon had already taken over. Grabbing Levy off the floor and pulling her towards his chest, Gajeel growled at the dragoness. "She's mine. Don't you dare touch her." The other guild members gasped at Gajeel's bold confession. Levy's face went as red as a tomato and she wanted to melt into mush.

Leora sat up from the ground and smirked at the dragon slayer, which only made him angrier. Gajeel sat Levy back down on the bench before turning to strike at the dragoness again, but she managed to dodge this time. Running around the guild with a raged Gajeel following, Leora showed Levy exactly how the dragon slayer felt for her. How his feelings were strong enough that it gave him the courage to try and take down the dragon that tried to take her away from him.

Though…with the alcohol starting to kick in again, Leora knew that she needed somewhere to hide. Running back to where Laxus was sitting, she quickly transformed to her chibi dragon self and crawled around his neck, hiding underneath the collar of his coat.

"Oi Sunshine, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Laxus grumbled. He tried to move her from his neck, but she wouldn't budge. He turned towards Gajeel who was almost to their table, before narrowing his eyes.

"Hidinggg," Leora slurred, her tail thumping against his back. He was amazed that her necklace remained around her neck even with her at that size. The amber stone currently rested over his chest.

"You started all of that," Laxus pointed out. "I'm ain't dealing with your crap. Go hide somewhere else." He was already annoyed with the stuff that she pulled just now; he wasn't exactly in the mood to handle her mess.

"But…" Leora huffed against his neck. "It's safe here…"

Laxus' heart skipped again and inwardly he groaned. Why the hell did she have to say things like that just when he had convinced himself to let her go? "Goddamnit Sunshine…"

By now Gajeel had reached their table, his growls growing louder. His instincts were still speaking for him. "Cough her up lightning rod. I ain't leaving here until I've dealt my fair share."

But Laxus had already been affected by what Leora had said, and with a flash of his own fangs and a low growl, it seemed to have snapped Gajeel out of his instinct driven haze. Gajeel flinched when he caught the meaning behind his glare.

 _Don't mess with what's mine._

Gajeel growled in frustration before turning away. He walked over to Levy who was still blushing like a tomato, hauled her onto his shoulder despite her protests and walked out of the guild, much to the amazement of the other guild members. It only took a few moments for the guild to burst with excitement and gossip over the new development.

A few minutes later Leora peeked out from underneath Laxus coat.

Laxus sighed. "He's gone Sunshine."

Leora giggled before coming out and turning back to her humanoid form. By then Lily had already made it to their table. She shot the exceed a loopy grin, blood still dripping down her forehead from Gajeel's initial blow. "Lilyyyy. I think it worked."

Pantherlily gave her a deep throaty laugh. "I think it more than worked. He probably broke Levy with that confession."

Over at a nearby table, Lucy turned towards them. "Amazing Leora…you're better than Mira!"

Leora smirked, proud of her actions. "I know."

Suddenly a flash of blue tried to attack Leora as well. "Leora-samaaaaa!" Laxus pulled the dragoness away just in time to avoid a flying Juvia. Undeterred, the water mage simply dashed back to Leora whilst grabbing her hands and looking up at her with pleading eyes.

Leora stared at the wavering image of Juvia who was now moving her hair over to the side, exposing her neck to her. The water mage then practically forced Leora's head to her neck.

"Leora-samaaaa! Bite Juvia too!" Juvia pleaded.

"What?" Leora asked, confused. Over by Lucy's table, Gray choked on his beer.

"You almost bit Levy-san and it made Gajeel-kun confess his love for her!" Juvia exclaimed with hearts in her eyes. "So if you bite Juvia, then Gray-sama will confess his love for Juvia too!"

"No I won't!" Gray shouted in horror. The rest of the mages in the guild sweatdropped at Juvia's farfetched idea.

Leora laughed. "Sorry, Juvia…but it only works if it's a dragon slayer."

"Oh…" Juvia's expression fell, disappointed. She stood up, shoulders hunched in defeat, but just as she was about to return to her table, she slipped on some spilled water next to the bench. With a small cry of shock, she fell forward pushing Leora back, causing Laxus to have to catch her. But that wasn't all.

Juvia's eyes widened only to stare into Leora's equally shocked golden ones.

Their lips were connected.

The rest of the guild merely blinked, unsure of what to do about this development. They looked from the pair of girls towards Laxus, then Gray then back towards the girls.

Juvia's brain seemed to finally register what was happening. Panicking she immediately flew backwards, before bursting into a string of apologies. Leora continued to blink, her brain, having been slowed by the alcohol, hadn't quite registered what had just happened.

"Damn that was kinda hot…" Bickslow muttered from the other end of the table. Laxus was so stunned that he couldn't even register that comment. His hands were currently gripping onto Leora's arms quite tightly.

Juvia turned towards Gray, prepared to offer him her apologies as well, but when she saw that he was staring at her in shock, his full attention on her, something clicked in her brain.

Her kissing Leora-sama made Gray-sama pay attention to her. Her kissing Leora-sama made Gray-sama pay attention to her…

"L-Leora-samaaaa!" Juvia cried out. "Again! Kiss Juvia again!"

The rest of the guild cried out in shock. "Whaaat?!"

But before Juvia could even come close, Laxus had already hauled Leora out of the way and over his shoulder. "That's enough. We're going home."

"B-But Laxus-samaa! Please shareeee!" Juvia cried out dramatically as Laxus stalked out of the guild as fast as he could. Juvia stopped protesting when Laxus turned around with another dark glare.

 _Mine._

The rest of the guild members merely stared at the scene in shock as Laxus stormed out.

What just happened?

* * *

Leora noticed through her still slightly hazy mind that Laxus was oddly silent during the walk home. She wondered why that was. She also wondered why she was only seeing his coat at the moment…

"Laxus…let me down," Leora whined, when she realized she was hanging upside down.

"No," Laxus replied curtly.

"Whyy nottt?"

"You've caused enough trouble today," Laxus voice betrayed his slight anger. What he was angry about he didn't know. Maybe it started all the way back when she casually dismissed the mark on her neck. A mark that he now knew was a mating mark. A goddamn mating mark. Or maybe it was when she dragged Gajeel outside to do god knows what. Or _maybe_ it was when she practically marked Levy herself. Or _maybe_ it was when Juvia kissed her and she did nothing to move out of the way.

Damn. Maybe he was more than just slightly angry. And Leora's next words didn't exactly help.

"Juvia tastes like the sea…" Leora slurred, her hair dangling just above the ground as she was being carried.

Laxus' step faltered. He knew he was digging himself further into the hole, but he just had to know if she would remember. "And what did _he_ taste like." His blood still raged at the image that wouldn't leave his mind. The image of that arrogant dragon with his lips pressed against hers…

"He…?" Leora paused for a moment, but surprisingly she knew who he was talking about. It's not like she had tasted many people lately. Laxus wouldn't see it, but her eyes flashed a darker gold. For that moment, her voice lost any trace of alcohol influence. "Blood. He tasted like blood."

Laxus fell silent, not sure what to make of what she had said. The rest of the walk back to his house was also completed in silence. When they made it back home, he immediately walked to the dragoness' room before dumping her roughly on her bed. When Leora sat back up, Laxus got a good look at her face and groaned in annoyance. He had forgotten about the blood that was caused by her altercation with Gajeel earlier.

He walked over to his room and grabbed a clean hand towel before soaking it in water in his bathroom and wringing it out. Heading back to Leora's room, he noted that she remained in the same place. He didn't turn on the lights, given the fact that the moon provided enough lighting tonight. He sat next to the dragoness on the bed.

Laxus rolled his eyes at the evidence of the dragoness' recklessness once again before gripping Leora's chin.

"What are you-"

"Stop moving." Laxus commanded, causing Leora to huff and sit still. Laxus then proceeded to dab at the dried blood with the damp towel.

"I thought I told you to stop being so reckless," Laxus scolded as he wiped the blood that had trailed down to her cheek.

Leora pouted, slightly annoyed that she was being scolded again. "I'm fineeee. He didn't hurt me…ow-" Laxus had reached her left temple, where Gajeel's iron club had struck her dead on. Seeing the wound had caused Laxus' grip on the towel to tighten leading him to press a little too hard.

"It doesn't sound fine. Don't forget that Gajeel is a dragon slayer too," Laxus said, his voice expressing his displeasure, as he gently wiped down the rest of the blood. Thankfully the wound had closed up. When he was done, he got up to leave.

Something was bothering Leora about Laxus that night, though she didn't know why. But she wanted to find out...

Laxus paused when he felt her hand around his wrist, and yelped when he was suddenly pulled roughly back towards the bed. He fell in a weird position and in an attempt to get up he ended up sitting against the headboard while the dragoness moved to sit on her heels in between his bent legs. He held his breath when she leaned forward, her eyes boring into his.

"You're upset," Leora stated simply.

Laxus had to remind himself to stay angry, despite a part of him not wanting to after seeing Leora like this, her face glowing from the moonlight shining in from the window. "I'm not."

"Yes you are," Leora retorted. "You're even more grumpy than usual. Your eyebrows are practically one, your voice is more rough, you're answering in shorter sentences and your body is stiff. You're upset."

Laxus was both amazed and shocked at how much she had caught onto despite being drunk and well...despite being her. He didn't know that she noticed so many things about him. It wasn't doing his heart any favours either, seeing as her words sent it into a frenzy. Something that Leora seemed to notice as well given the fact that she just placed her hand over it.

Which only served to make it beat even faster.

"Are you troubled too?" Leora asked innocently, her right hand pressing harder against his chest. "Levy was troubled and I fixed her problems. Maybe I can fix your problems too."

Oh the irony.

Laxus ran a hand through his hair in frustration. The subject of his problems was currently sitting right in front of him. But given the way her golden eyes were staring at him in earnest, he gave into her game. "And how exactly would you help me?"

"Well I wouldn't know until you tell me." Leora huffed. Her long golden hair slightly tickled his thighs as it brushed against them.

Laxus chuckled, before replying seriously. "Well Sunshine, I'm caught at a crossroads…and I'm not sure which road to take. One is the simpler road, which will be painful, but only to a certain extent." He watched as Leora nodded intently, hanging onto his every word. He sighed. "The other is a longer, much tougher road and if I succeed then I'd be greatly rewarded, but if I fail, it would be much more painful than if I took the first road."

"So high risk, high reward," Leora concluded.

"Yep," Laxus admitted, staring down at the dragoness still sitting in between his legs. His forearms rested against his knees. "So, Sunshine. Which should I choose?"

"I'm confused," Leora said.

"Why?"

Leora said the next words as if it were the most natural thing to say. "Well, the Laxus I know would always take the tougher road, even if it was harder. The risk would just add to the thrill. He would never consider taking the simpler way out of something. So why are you even considering the first road?"

Laxus couldn't stop the booming laughter that left his chest after hearing her words. Even drunk, she was right about him on so many levels that it was a struggle to argue back. "It's not that simple Sunshine."

"It's not that simple…" Leora repeated in thought. "Gajeel said that too, about Levy…are you troubled by a woman too?!" She stared up at him with wide eyes.

Laxus was at a loss of what to say, which only confirmed Leora's suspicion. "Who is it?"

He didn't even try to deny the fact that it had something to do with a woman, knowing that she'd see right through him. Besides, she'll forget about this by tomorrow morning anyways. "That's not important."

Leora pouted, but let him keep his secret. "Well…I don't see why you would have trouble with women. You always have a lot hanging around you..."

Laxus raised his brow, before grinning wide. "Are you jealous?"

Leora only glanced at him in confusion. "Why would I be jealous of the women? I'm around you more than they are anyways…shouldn't they be jealous of me?"

Laxus' laughter originated all the way from the bottom of his chest. He was amazed at the things she was capable of saying when she's intoxicated. Though he was pretty sure she'd say the same things if she was sober. "Hai Hai. Anyways Sunshine, you don't need to try and help me. There's no need. She wouldn't want me back anyways."

Leora frowned. "Why not?"

This conversation was getting harder for Laxus to tread through. "Because…she doesn't feel the same about me."

Leora looked down and her eyebrows scrunched as she went deep in thought. It was ironic to Laxus how hard she was thinking for his sake even though she was the root of all his problems.

She looked back up at him. "Then make her feel the same."

Laxus scoffed. "I can't just magically make her feel the same Sunshine. Besides, we're not in the same league. Hell we're not even the same species." His throat closed up as soon as he said that. He's said too much.

Leora stared at him with a frown. "Hmm…and that matters to you?"

"It matters to her," Laxus corrected. A lot from what he presumed.

Her eyes hardened. "So then you convince her not to care about that."

"It's not that easy, Sunshine…" Laxus sighed painfully. He was done with this conversation. "Look, I'm going to go-" He moved to get up, but was only slammed back into the headboard with one of her hands against his chest. Even intoxicated, the dragoness retained her inhuman strength.

"You," Leora started. "Are a terrible dragon too."

"What." Laxus said, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

Leora sighed dramatically. "I'll tell you what I told Gajeel." She leaned forward, her face inches from his, her hand pressing further into his chest. "Dragons are selfish. When we want something, we'll take it. No matter who or what is in the way. We don't stand idly by and complain about something when we haven't even tried to do anything about it."

Laxus ran a hand through his hair as he stared at her, absorbing her words before letting out a sigh of defeat. "So I should just take her."

Leora nodded, happy that he was finally listening to her.

"But what if someone else is interested in her?"

"Then you fight and take what's yours!" Leora exclaimed.

Laxus raised a brow. "Take what's mine…huh." Both he and his inner dragon liked the sound of that. He leaned slightly forward, causing the dragoness to instinctively lean back on her heels again.

Though she didn't seem to notice that. "Yep!"

Laxus' eyes darkened. "Then I hope you're ready Sunshine."

Leora's head tilted in confusion. "Huh?"

A smirk appeared on Laxus' face, his mood having been uplifted by the pep talk he received from the subject of all his troubles. He was now in the mood for something else. He continued to lean forward until their faces were once again within inches of one another. "I have another question for you Sunshine."

"What is it?"

Laxus tone deepened, his voice taking on a huskier edge. "So what did I taste like?"

Leora blinked for a moment, as if registering his question. It took a couple more moments for her to come up with her answer, but it was one that Laxus didn't expect.

"I don't remember."

Laxus closed his eyes, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "Haaaa?" She remembered what Juvia and that cursed dragon tasted like, but she didn't remember him?!

"I don't remember exactly…" Leora repeated. Her next words were strangely blunt. "But it tasted good."

Laxus' eyes shot back open. What did she just say? He…he tasted good?! He was glad for the lack of lighting for he was certain that he was blushing now given the amount of blood that just rushed to his face. He was so stunned that he missed her next words spoken to herself.

"Hmm…why don't I remember…"

He was so absorbed in her words that he almost missed her next actions. Almost. Though its hard to not to notice when...someone leans forward to lick your lips. Her tongue flickered out so fast that he didn't even have the time to react.

Laxus sprang back so fast afterwards that his back banged against the headboard. Eyes wide, his heart was racing as he tried to register what she had just done.

She licked his lips.

With one swipe of her tongue, she licked his lips. Even now he could feel the lingering moisture she left behind.

He watched as her tongue receded back into her own lips before her face scrunched up in contemplation. He could see her tongue moving inside, as if it was slowly dissecting his taste…

"Smoke," Leora finally said as she came to a conclusion. "Like the smoke after a fresh lightning strike. That's what you taste like."

Laxus blinked at the confusing bundle of dragon in front of him before bursting into laughter. He laughed so hard that his sides hurt. It took him a full minute to calm down, all while Leora was looking at him as if he went crazy.

Laxus brought an arm over his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. "You win, Sunshine. You win."

Leora continued to look at him with confusion.

Laxus sighed before reaching out and ruffling her hair. "You're beautiful."

Leora's eyes widened and she felt warmth on her cheeks. Though she quickly regained composure as she smiled proudly. "I know."

Laxus laughed. "You're quite vain aren't you Sunshine?"

After all the excitement of the night, exhaustion finally caught up to her as she drifted forward, falling onto Laxus' chest. He stiffened up underneath her. "I guess I am vain…" She yawned. "But it's because I wasn't always like this…"

Laxus looked down at the golden head of hair with furrowed brows.

Leora continued, one hand drifting to play with a strand of her hair while the other hovered over her left eye. "I used to be ugly…like a monster…"

Laxus narrowed his eyes. "Don't you dare say that. Who told you that?" His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to his chest. He thought that she was over this whole 'monster' business.

But she ignored his question. "It's warm…" Her breath fanned against his chest as she snuggled further into him and let out another long yawn.

"Just like last time…"

Laxus couldn't stop the rapid beat of his heart as the dragoness fell asleep against his chest, her own heart beating steady. He stared down at her, the moon gently illuminating her body. He caught the sight of the mark on her neck and was surprised when it finally disappeared.

It was gone. As if it was never there to being with.

He sighed as he leaned his head back against the headboard, his own tongue coming out to grab a taste of what she had left behind on his lips. He had told himself that he was only going to be just her friend. But then she had to go and say all those things…do all those things.

How the hell was he going to be satisfied with just being friends now?!

Glancing down at her peaceful face, glowing in the light of the moon, her long eyelashes resting gently against her skin, Laxus came to another dilemma. How the hell was he even going to sleep like this? He tried to move her, but one of her hands gripped tightly onto his shirt. His eye caught the light as it reflected off the necklace he had given her. It didn't escape his notice that she almost never took it off.

This wasn't good. His body was already reacting to her closeness.

But as he sat there longer, her scent enveloping him, it slowly lulled him into a gentle and deep sleep.

* * *

Sometime in the middle of the night, Leora found herself thinking only of one thing while she slept.

 _It's hot._

* * *

 ** _A/N: And the start of Arc III of Taming a Dragon begins with round three of drunk Leora LOL. I love making her do random funny things. Like ironically giving Laxus love advice...for herself. Hope that was decent enough cuteness for you (not quite sure how good I am at writing this kind of stuff)._**

 ** _Also! An announcement! Since my imagination likes to run wild for these two, I'm always coming up with scenes that don't always quite fit into the feel and pace of this story. So I've decided to house them within my new spin off story for Taming a Dragon named "It's not a Date". This story will basically be a bunch of loosely connected scenes of fluff (and maybe more :P). I've already written the first chapter: 'It's Not a Shopping Trip', featuring swimsuit shopping, more human food taste testing and Leora's reaction to realizing that Laxus had lied when he told her that feeding her made the food taste better o.O So feel free to head over and check it out. Based on level of interest I can write more of those._**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	24. Arc III-24: Heat

**Chapter 24**

It was hot.

Scorching, burning, suffocating heat.

Her blood felt like liquid flames pumping at a million miles per minute as she lay there. The back of her mind was trying to remind her of something important that she had forgotten. But it was a fleeting thought, for the heat was back a split second later. Pulse after pulse it raced through her body, her mind already having lost to the instincts that had already broken free of its constraints.

It was hot.

* * *

The sun had not yet risen, leaving his mind in confusion as to why he had woken up so early. He felt a weight on top of his body, heavy enough to alert him to the change, but not enough to crush him. It radiated pulses of scorching heat that he felt even through his clothes. He sensed slight movement above him, then froze when he felt something that felt like a hand reaching underneath his shirt and trailing up his chest.

"It's hot."

His eyes sprang open, clashing immediately with dark pools of gold. Any sight of his surroundings was blocked by a wall of golden hair, forcing him to focus only on what was on top of him. Or better yet, _who_ was on top of him. His eyes left hers for just a moment, before trailing slowly down until they widened at the sight before him. She was completely naked, her perky breasts mere inches away from his body. The hand hadn't stopped moving as it continued its journey up his chest, grazing over his nipple and forcing his shirt all the way up, exposing his torso to the warm air. His eyes shot back up, heavy lidded eyes meeting his in a lazy stare.

What was going on?!

Somehow he managed to find his voice, but it came out with a croak. "S-Sunshine…what are you doing?!"

"It's hot," was her only reply, her voice caressing her words in heavy whisper. It was enough to send shivers down his spine. It was then that his nose was hit with a heavy scent of-

Her arousal.

He had been too stunned to notice it before, but now that his mind was clearing from his sleep induced haze, it was impossible to ignore or mistake. It filled the entire room and encompassed him like a heavy blanket of ambrosia, causing his entire body to react, some parts reacting stronger than others. Her scent had never been this intoxicating before…

He searched through her eyes trying to find answers, noticing that they had darkened and exhibited the same feral characteristics from when her instincts came out to feed. That would make some sort of sense to him given all the other things she had done to him when she had gone under. But somehow this time it felt different. The feral edge wasn't as strong as he remembered. That, coupled with the fact that she spoke, something her instincts had never done before, had him wondering if a part of her was still conscious.

His member twitched at the thought of that being true.

But this all had to be a dream…right? Just the day before he had received indirect admission that she felt nothing towards humans. Actions like this would mean-

He shivered when she suddenly dipped her head down towards his neck and nipped, the moment of contact sending sparks down his spine and towards his groin. This dream was feeling awfully real at the moment. His hands fisted into the sheets in an attempt to control himself. But they weren't allowed to remain there for long, for she suddenly decided to sit up. While he normally wouldn't have minded that since it released some of the built up heat between them, he was quickly made aware of where she decided to sit.

In fact, he now very aware of the fact that the only barrier between her core and his arousal were his shorts. But even those couldn't stop him from making another realization.

She was wet.

He had no idea how she was managing to do it, but at this moment she made him feel like a blushing teenager, his body failing to stay under his control, the heat from her core making him rock hard. He couldn't even fight her when she went to grab for his hand before placing it right on top of her firm breast. He tried to move it, but her grip was firm.

"It's hot," she breathed.

His mind stopped working the moment she began to guide his hand further south, trailing down the soft skin of her torso until it reached-

"L-Leora!"

And just like that, with the rising sun streaming in through the window, indicating the break of dawn, the trance was broken. All movement stopped from her, aside from her heavy breathing. He watched as her eyes slowly focused again. She blinked multiple times before glancing down in between them.

With a loud yelp she sprang off his body and backed up until her back was plastered against the wall of her room, as if she had tried to get as far away from him as possible.

"W-What happened?" Leora breathed, her mind still a haze. Something was buzzing in the back of her brain, trying to remind her of something she had forgotten.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?!" Laxus growled, slightly offended by how fast she had jumped away from him. His own breathing still hadn't calmed down.

It took a moment for Leora to register how she had found herself 'waking up' this morning. "Why didn't you push me off?!" How did this even happen?

"I-I don't know!" Laxus shouted back. Though he did know. Because ever fibre of his being didn't want him to.

Then it hit Leora like a ton of bricks. How could she have forgotten? She had never been this unprepared before. Especially not so that it had started before she could isolate herself!

She didn't have much time.

"I have to go," Leora breathed adamantly. "Now."

"Like hell you are!" Laxus growled, trying to get up. But his current problem created troubles when he tried to get off the bed. Even still, he wasn't going to let her leave the house, looking and smelling like that.

Leora turned towards the door. "I'll be back in a week or so. Don't come looking for me."

"W-wait!" But it was too late, she had already left, slamming the door behind her. And knowing her, by the time he got up, she would have been miles away.

Laxus immediately collapsed back onto the bed, one he realized wasn't even his own. That's right. He had fallen asleep in her room the night before, with her in his arms and woken up to…this. A pulse from his groin reminded him of a problem he had to fix. He gritted his teeth, frustrated that once again he had played to Leora's pace. What was with that anyways? First she goes and tells him to take what he wants in her drunken state, then molests him the morning after and disappears immediately after that?!

He felt as if he was her puppet and she was his ignorant puppeteer, making him bend towards her every whim. Growling, he stubbornly made his way to his own bathroom in order to take care of his problem.

* * *

It was still early morning by the time Laxus arrived at the guild. To his expectations, the dragoness was no where in sight, nor was most of the guild. Though that was also expected. What he didn't expect was Natsu's appearance so early in the morning. He swore that the pink haired ball of energy usually slept in.

Said pink haired ball of energy decided to bother him the moment he sat down at the bar.

"Laxus! Fight me!" Natsu shouted as he leapt forward.

Laxus sighed. He wasn't in the mood for this today. So with one well timed punch, he managed to slam Natsu straight into the floor. Over by another table, Lucy merely sighed before turning back to sip on her strawberry smoothie.

"Hey, that wasn't fair! Rematch-" Natsu paused, before standing up and leaning a little closer to Laxus.

Laxus on the other hand was quite uncomfortable with Natsu's proximity. And was he…sniffing him?! "Oi. What do you think you're doing Natsu?"

Natsu took another sniff, flushing slightly, before he was shoved in the face by a large hand. "Hey Laxus…did you turn into a woman?"

Lucy almost choked on her smoothie, Mira behind the bar couldn't hold in her laugh and Laxus' expression darkened.

"What."

"I'm serious, Laxus," Natsu's tone reflecting his words. "You smell like a female…in heat."

Laxus swore there was something wrong with Natsu's head that morning. "Do I look like a damn female to you?!"

"Well if its not you then its…oh." Natsu's brain made the connection…and so did Laxus'.

The dragoness was in…heat?!

It took a while for it to sink in, but eventually Natsu had to ask, keeping in mind to tread carefully. "Did you do anything to her?" But judging by the fact that Laxus was here as well as the lack of a mark on his neck meant that nothing serious had happened. Though he was slightly curious as to why her scent was all over him.

"What exactly do you mean?" Laxus asked, his voice lowering.

"Well…Igneel didn't tell me too much about it-" Natsu said embarrassed as he scratched behind his head with one hand. "-since he assumed I'd take a human mate. But he did tell me that female dragons go into heat about once a year." He took a seat at the bar next to Laxus. "And when they do, their instincts take over at night and if the female is mated, then she becomes fertile. But if she's not then-" Natsu flushed as he continued. "-she emits a scent that calls out to other males…telling them that she's ready to be mated." And right now, Laxus was covered in that scent.

Laxus tried his hardest not to flush as his brain registered that sentence and what it had meant in relation to what had occurred earlier that morning. Did that mean, her instincts had tried to…

Laxus stopped that train of thought before it went anywhere dangerous. Besides, judging by Leora's reaction as soon as she gained consciousness, it wasn't something that she wanted anyways. Another sharp pang stabbed into his heart.

"Nothing happened," Laxus grunted as he stared into the coffee Mira had brought him.

Natsu brightened up. "Oh that's good!" He walked back over to the table with Lucy before he soon sported a large bump on his head. "Ow Lucy what was that for?"

"For being an idiot…" Lucy mumbled. She glanced over by Laxus sitting by the bar and sighed. That man was definitely fighting an uphill battle.

* * *

Two wing-like adornments atop long, pastel blonde hair perked up as twin dark green eyes stared in curiosity. "Are you sure this isn't too excessive?"

Leora exhaled as she attached the last of the chains to her wrists. "I'm positive." The heavy chains clanged against the ground as she walked back to the pile of furs where Mavis was currently lounging. She glanced around her den, her lips flattening when she noted the stockpile of food she gathered. Given the fact that she only had until sundown, she didn't have as much time to hunt before she had to come back and prepare. Hopefully she had enough to last her through the week. She usually got extremely hungry during her heat cycle…aside from other things. Even now she could feel the residual pulse of arousal she had felt this morning. She had been careless, forgetting this time of the year.

"You look ridiculous," Mavis pointed out as she stared at all of Leora's chains. She had one attached to cuffs around each of her four limbs, followed by one attached to a collar around her neck. "Will they even work?" Based on the short explanation Leora had given her prior to her coming, they were in for a rough night, or worse yet, a rough week.

"Ah, they were enchanted for this purpose," Leora answered as she lay down next to Mavis. The chains won't work until sundown, but once the sun sets, the chains had the strength to hold down a dragon. As much as she hated them, since they reminded her of the time she was kept captive, it was a necessity. And since she was the one putting the chains on herself, her phobia didn't surface. "Did you spell the entrance?"

"Yep!" Mavis exclaimed. "No one can come in-" She caught Leora's look. "-and no one can get out."

"Perfect," Leora said, closing her eyes. Now she just had to wait. She stared up at the sun roof in her den, catching the lovely purples and oranges that came with the setting of the sun, the white clouds joining in on the fun.

"Hey, Leora?" Mavis asked as she glanced over at her friend. "Why haven't I seen you do this before?" They were together for over six years back in the day and she's never had to do this for the dragoness before.

"Oh, I used to fly back to my father's den whenever I went into heat," Leora smiled. "But now, I think this place feels more like home." She turned to face her friend when she felt her presence on her hand. She grasped even though she knew she wouldn't be able to feel anything. Mavis' smile was warm enough.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Mavis said, her voice soft and soothing. "Just like you did for all of us."

The sun was starting to set, and Leora's concentration was starting fade. "Alright…" She let her instincts take over.

Mavis' eyes narrowed when the soft golden eyes in front of her soon turned into a darker, feral state. She watched as Leora's fangs elongated and the dragoness started to growl.

"It's hot…" Leora growled as she started to claw at her own clothes.

But Mavis wasn't afraid.

She'll watch over her friend for as long as she needs her to. Always.

* * *

Leora awoke next morning completely covered in animal blood. Slightly sore, she slowly sat up, the sound of the chains clinking against the floor as they moved. She sighed when she realized that they were stretched tight, meaning she was near the entrance of her den. She had tried to escape last night. She stared down at the cuffs around her wrists, hoping they will hold for the remainder of the week.

Her mind was still hazy when she walked back towards her furs, the chains dragging behind her. She had an odd dream last night. She remembered standing in the middle of a lake, blood staining its waters as thunder raged above her. Lightning flashed and she remembered taking a man's hand and following him somewhere. She stared intently at the person's back as they walked, trying to decipher whether he was friend or foe. The memory was hazy, but she could see herself standing inside a bathtub as the man's hands ran over her body, blood staining the tub as water rained over her head. Her eyes never left the mans' face and slowly that memory cleared up until she realized who she was staring at in her dream.

The dragon slayer.

Leora blinked as she sat on her furs, wondering why she had a dream about Laxus. Weirder yet, that dream had felt strangely real…

She shook her head, clearing herself of these thoughts. That would be ridiculous.

"How are you feeling?" Mavis asked as she appeared beside her. It was alarming to see her friend covered in blood, but after what she had witnessed the night before it didn't surprise her.

"Sore," Leora said. "And hungry." But she looked over to her stash of food and was alarmed that she had already gone through much of it in one night. This wasn't going to go well for the next couple of days. The only way she kept the sexual urges from her heat cycle down was to eat. "How did I-?"

"You tore through them like no tomorrow," Mavis told her, slightly concerned. It was like watching a beast in human form rip through wild animals, tearing the flesh away from their bones, occasionally devouring the bones as well. "You should probably take a bath."

"A-Ah," Leora agreed after she glanced down at her blood soaked hair. Thankfully the chains were more lenient during the day, allowing her to travel through to the lake behind her den, though not too far as Mavis' barrier extended here as well, preventing her from leaving. The sun was blazing this mid summer morning, the heat adding to the already raised temperature of her own body. She let out a contented sigh as she sank down into cool waters of the lake, her sore muscles relaxing. She watched intently as the waters slowly died pink as the blood seeped into them. Thankfully the river connected here, leading the waters away into the ocean.

* * *

Laxus paced back and forth at the guild, trying to figure out where the dragoness had gone. He knew he shouldn't be worried, but yet he was. Why the hell did she just disappear like that without tell him where she went? To make things worse she was too far to communicate through their Bond.

"Laxus if you keep pacing like that, the floor will break," Freed said, concerned. He didn't quite understand his leader's agitation. Judging from what Natsu had relayed to them after they arrived yesterday, it seemed to be a yearly occurrence. None of them knew where the dragoness had gone so there was nothing they could do but sit here and wait.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Evergreen reassured. "You'll feel it if she gets hurt right?"

Laxus only grunted as he continued to pace. That much he still had and thankfully he hadn't sensed any injuries.

"Boss, just sit," Bickslow said, his babies repeating his last word. Finally listening, Laxus roughly sat down onto a chair, his head resting on an open palm while his leg fidgeted.

"I've been doing some reading about the dragon's heat cycle," Freed said, turning to Laxus. "If what I read is correct, the dragoness should be heading back to somewhere she feels is safe and protected."

Laxus only continued to glare at the table. _She was safe here._

"Perhaps…oh! Her den!" Freed exclaimed, coming to the realization. "Where was her den again?"

Laxus growled in annoyance. "Tenroujima."

The rest of the Raijinshuu realized Laxus' concern. Tenrou island was a week's travel away. By the time he arrived there…it would be too late.

"So we really can't do anything, but wait…"

* * *

Leora had spent the rest of the second day lounging around her den and chatting with Mavis about the old days as well as the new. It was pleasant, something she hadn't been able to do since she had woken just a couple of months ago, but she knew that it was only the calm before the storm. And when night began to fall, she rested upon her soft furs once again, watching the sunset before losing consciousness.

She experienced another dream that night, with the similar haze that surrounded the first one.

xXx

 _She loved the feeling that always came from hunting, the rush of adrenaline followed by the feeling of accomplishment when she successfully killed her prey. When she was finished, she found herself returning to the house which she had left from. She scratched against the door and waited, until it opened to a now familiar face._

 _The dragon slayer._

 _He dragged her inside with haste, until she stood in the middle of his bathtub. She stood there staring at him intently, watching his every movement as he cleaned the blood off of her. She was curious about this man. He was the one who placed the cursed mark upon her collar and yet he had made no move to control her. It was strange and intriguing._

 _After he had apparently deemed her clean, though she hadn't minded the blood of her prey being all over her, he led her back into a room that she recognized was her own. He turned to leave, but she wasn't quite done studying him yet. With a growl, she pulled him onto the bed, straddling his torso, with her hands next to his head so she could prevent his escape. He looked shocked and didn't fight her, but then again, neither did her prey once they realized who they were up against._

 _She wanted to know more about this man, so she took her time exploring him, trying to figure out what made him different from all the other humans she had come across before. Her fingers traced down his torso, following wherever her eyes had landed. She sensed his shiver._

 _So this human was sensitive. She smirked at the discovery._

 _Her eyes swept over his body again, landing on the interesting markings over his left chest, her claws slowly tracing over them, causing the man to hiss. She let out another smirk, her fangs revealing themselves._

 _She wondered what he tasted like._

 _Deciding she wanted to find out, she leaned forward so that her naked body pressed against his, just in case he decided to struggle. She made her way to the crook of his neck and grinned against his skin just as she was about to bite-_

 _When he suddenly flipped their positions with a growl, his own canines bearing in warning, she was pleasantly surprised. So this human did have some guts. Interesting. It only served to excite her more. She wanted to know what he was capable of so she didn't retaliate, instead choosing to watch his every movement as he sat on top of her. His thumb traced over the mark on her collar and she hissed at him as it reminded her of his power over her. He immediately moved on, making the same movements as she did, tracing a hand through the valley of her breasts and down her navel. She wondered what he was doing. She figured she'd give him a reaction just to see how daring he was and hitched her breath just as he brushed a thumb over her nipple._

 _Apparently that was what he wanted, since he gave her a wolfish grin, before leaning down towards her and…immediately stopped._

 _Interesting. A man capable of restraint. Her tongue came out to slowly lick her fangs. He quickly scrambled off of her body and she turned on her side to face him as he ran off into his own room. She stared at his door while thinking-_

 _She would enjoy playing with her prey the next time around._

xXx

Leora woke up the next morning on the ground again, wondering why she had dreamt about the dragon slayer again. It was unsettling how real it felt, but there was no way that it could have been. She would've remembered if she had really done that.

"Leora are you okay?" Mavis' voice reached her.

"…I'm fine." Leora slowly got up and she slowly made her way back towards the furs, chains rattling against the ground. She had woken up near the entrance again.

She groaned as she fell on top of the furs in a bloody mess. Her body felt as if she had just flown across the earth twice and back. All her bones and muscles ached. Just how much had she strained against the chains last night?!

In attempt to curb the constant feeling of both pain and arousal, she dragged herself over to her food pile and nibbled on a hare. She had to ration, or else the last couple of days would be torture. She sighed as she returned to her furs, resigning herself to another day of boredom as she waited out her heat cycle. At least she had Mavis here to keep her company.

With the setting sun, the third night soon arrived and brought with it another dream, once again starting with the thrill of the hunt…

xXx

 _She held onto the dragon slayer's hand as he led her away into the woods until they reached a river, near a waterfall and rocks. He dragged her into water and she watched as the blood from her hunt stained the river a pale pink. Wanting to see more of the river stained in the colour crimson, she dunked her body into river, emerging moments later. She watched lethargically as he slowly washed her body, spending an awfully long time around her chest. When his thumb brushed against her nipple, she felt a single spark travel from that point down her spine. Her eyes shot wide open, feeling slight warmth in between her legs._

 _He seemed to have noticed as well since his eyes came up to meet hers._

 _No. That's impossible._

 _She was not entertaining that thought. This was her playtime and he was her prey. She reinforced that idea as she slammed him against the one of the large rocks along the river bed, staring up at him with a playful grin._

 _She heard him speak to her. "See something you like Sunshine?" She caught his perverted grin and returned a seductive smile of her own. She had fun the last time she came out to play. Now she wanted to know how far she could push him._ _She started her exploration of his body this time with the lightning mark that was now on his chest. A signal that she had accepted him. It had amazed her when she had, but she had to admit that she was impressed by his abilities. That and she wanted to play with him longer, without that dreaded slave collar around her neck. She was amused when she heard his hiss and growing arousal as she continued downwards, touching, licking and biting as she went. Her tail swished gently in the water._

 _Which gave her an idea._

" _What the-"_

 _She looked up at him with a smirk the moment her tail brushed up against his arousal, enjoying his reaction. She brushed up against it again before slipping it underneath his shorts and wrapping it around-_

" _Is that your tail?!"_

 _Amused at his reaction, she growled as he tried to run away. She wasn't done having fun yet. Leaping out of the water, she tackled him down onto a nearby smooth rock, caging his body in so that he wouldn't escape. Her fangs rested over his neck and she let out a growl to warn him. Pleased by his submission, she rewarded the dragon slayer with her tail again, wrapping it around his cock, sending him a sly grin when she started to build up a torturously slow rhythm. His reactions pleased her as she continued her journey downwards, her breasts trailing against his skin as she timed each nip with a small flick of her tail against the tip of his arousal._

 _She was amazed at the level of control he had over his body…which made her all the more determined to break it. A slight growl had caught his attention and she stared into his eyes, which had darkened with lust, before she concentrated on her next play thing as she hovered right over it._ _Curious as to what he would taste like, she licked her lips before lowering her head towards his arousal and gave the head a gentle kitten lick. Pleased by the way his entire body froze up she continued to satisfy her curiosity, swirling her tongue around the head before leisurely licking down and up the entire length. He seemed to be struggling, and she knew that he wanted more._

 _Well, she'll grant his wish just this once._

 _She smiled when she heard the load moan he released as soon as she enclosed her mouth around the tip, giving it an experimental suck. But a spark of annoyance ran through her when she felt his hands on top of her head and his hips attempted to thrust into her mouth. She growled low and bared her fangs in warning, glaring at him as her clawed hands pushed his hips back against the rock, holding them in place._

 _She was the one in control here._

 _Satisfied by his obedience, she gradually took the rest of him in, though she found it more difficult than she thought. She used her hand to take care of the rest of him as she slowly bobbed up and down his member, occasionally using her tongue to build up the pressure. She could feel him on the edge of unwinding._

 _She wanted to see it when he did._

 _She caught his gaze just as her mouth sank down on his cock as much as she could before growling gently and finally sending him over the edge. She got a strong taste of his release, swallowing it in its entirety. She sat up just as her tongue darted out to catch a stray drop on the corner of her lip. She smirked at his groan._

 _Having had her fun, she decided it was time to leave. She sprouted her wings and flew off, leaving him completely dazed._

 _This prey was proving to be much more fun than she had thought._

xXx

Leora's eyes shot wide open from where she lay on the cave floor, while across the ocean, in the comfort of his own bed, Laxus sat straight up.

What the hell was that dream?!

Leora spent the better half of the morning pacing inside her den. Or well that was what her brain was doing. Her body was currently in too much pain to be doing anything but lying on her furs as she groaned and cursed.

Her mind kept replaying the dream from the night before. That wasn't real…was it? It couldn't be real. She would never do that to him…

But the scary part was that it had _felt_ real. Her body seemed to remember the feeling of his skin as she touched him, and yet she had no conscious memory of that incident. How would she forget if she had done something…like that?! To a human?...

As she broke down the details within that dream, she began to notice parts that seemed oddly familiar. Like the river…and the waterfall. It seemed vaguely like one section of the forest that she had been to before…here on Tenroujima.

No.

It can't be real.

There was only one other person here that could help confirm her fears.

"Mavis…" Leora whispered, knowing the woman would be able to hear her. True to her suspicious, moments later the pale blonde materialized next to her. She sat down on the furs with her legs out in front of her.

"Yes, Leora?" Mavis turned towards her friend, before furrowing her brows. She seemed…bothered.

Leora didn't know how to approach this. "Mavis…during the three months that we were on the island before the Grand Magic Games. Were you here too?"

Mavis' head cocked to the side. "Yes why do you ask?"

"Were you watching over us the _entire_ time?"

"Yes!" Mavis exclaimed with a gentle smile.

Leora paused before continuing. "Was there anything…out of place that happened between me and…the dragon slayer?"

"Out of place?" Mavis cocked her head to the side, before she suddenly straightened up and stared at the floor with a heavy blush on her face. Her wing-like adornments were pressed towards the top of her head. "Umm…you went hunting a-and then Laxus took you to the river to clean up…a-and-" The poor child-like woman couldn't quite finish her sentence.

Mavis' reaction said it all, leaving Leora at a loss for words. "No…" It actually happened?!

Mavis continued to blush. "I didn't think you two…"

"We aren't," Leora answered abruptly. That would be ridiculous, and entirely improper. If what Mavis said was true, then what happened in her dream occurred when her instincts had taken over. Which had her even more confused. Never in her entire life had her instincts been interested in a human. So why now? Why him?

The pair sat in a stiff, embarrassed silence until Leora shook her head to get rid of those thoughts and was abruptly reminded of how sore her body was. Being stuck in a constant state of arousal wasn't helping either. She wanted something to make her forget about the pain…and her hunger.

"Mavis…" Leora whined. She never sounded like this, but at this moment she didn't care anymore. "Everything hurts…" She hated how her body felt like this, every time she went into heat. It felt as if something was attempting to punch a hole through her abdomen. She also felt like devouring an entire city at this moment. "Does this happen for humans too?..."

Mavis blushed. "Well um…not to this extent." The dragoness was being quite grumpy and whiny during her stay on the island, something she had seen with other woman before, during certain times of the month...but it was never this bad.

Leora rolled around onto her stomach and pressed her face into the furs. "If there is a moment that I wished I was human, now would be that moment."

Mavis couldn't help but laugh. She had never seen the dragoness like this before, it was an interesting change of pace.

"Do you think it will all stop if I clawed out my reproductive organs?"

"Ah! Don't do that!"

* * *

Laxus spent the better half of his day lying in bed trying to figure out what the hell that dream was. Well, it wasn't as if he hadn't replayed that specific moment from when they were training on Tenrou island before, but it never felt as real as what had happened last night. It didn't help that it left him very aroused this morning, much more than usual.

He thought about heading out to the guild, but didn't feel like fielding questions from the guild as to where the dragoness was. So he spent the rest of his day holed up inside his house, dealing with occasional bursts of arousal that he didn't know why he'd have. The Raijinshuu had visited later at night just to see how he was doing, but he brushed them off, telling them he was fine.

Soon he found himself lying on his bed, watching the sunset, waiting for night to arrive.

* * *

Another night, another dream for the aching dragoness.

xXx

 _This time there was the lack of the thrill of the hunt, however she still reveled in the taste of blood as she sank her teeth into the small hare that was presented as an offering. She was certain that the dragon slayer didn't know what he was doing, but she did. And oddly enough, she accepted. Savoring the different types of prey he had offered, she soon finished, leaving herself covered in blood. His hand was once again presented to her, and she gladly took it, eager to play with her special prey once again._

 _He took her to a river nearby and she let him try and clean her up. She watched his eyes trail over her body after she had emerged from the waters in front of him._

" _Why do you always do this to me…?"_

 _The scent of his arousal was heavy in the air, urging her to respond. She stepped forward, bringing her entire body flush against his, eager to begin their game._

" _You're not helping…"_

 _She frowned when he pushed her back to arm's length and attempted to leave. She wasn't going to let him do that again, so she pounced. But this time it seemed as if he was prepared. She growled as he knocked her to the ground, her back against the grass. She attempted to struggle, to knock him off her, but he trapped her, with one hand holding her wrists tight. This wasn't how the game was supposed to go! She attempted again to fight, but immediately stiffened when she felt his fangs against her neck and his growl against her skin. A small nip in warning caused her to still her struggles._

" _You're the one who started this."_

 _Her growls never ceased, showing her extreme distaste of the position she currently found herself in._

" _I believe you said I owed you." She felt his breath against her neck, and she couldn't stop the small shiver that made its way down her spine. What sort of magic was this dragon slayer trying to pull? "I think it's time I returned the favour."_

 _Her eyes widened when his free hand went to cup her breast. Who gave him permission to touch her like that-_

 _Her breath hitched and her thoughts halted as soon as his thumb brushed against her nipple, before trailing down the lightning shaped mark on her chest. Small sparks started to travel down her spine. Something she was not pleased with._

" _Surprised that a human can make you feel this way, Sunshine?"_

 _Her growl betrayed exactly how displeased she was at his words._

" _Hmm…seems like you can understand at least."_

 _With each grope and squeeze of her breast, she could feel the subtle heat growing. Sharp sparks of pleasure shot straight towards her core with each flick of a nipple. She tried to will the feelings away, but it wouldn't disappear, merely growing stronger. Her growls continued to grow louder, but they halted as soon as his lips descended upon the neglected nipple on her other breast, enveloping it in one go. The sharp intake of breath accompanied the sharp bolt of pleasure that struck her, causing heat to pool in between her thighs._

" _You can deny all you want, but your scent doesn't lie Sunshine."_

 _She snarled down at him as their eyes clashed, but her throat choked up with his gentle nip, followed by a swirl of his tongue. It felt like millennia before he released his hold on her breasts, but her relief was short lived as he continued downwards, nipping and exploring every inch of her torso with his tongue. The unwanted heat only continued to build, never subsiding._

 _It was frustrating. How was it that this human could do this to her? It was unheard of!_

 _She tried to take back control by manipulating her tail over his body. She received a reaction with his gentle shivers, but she quickly lost concentration as he travelled lower and lower, sending waves upon waves of subtle pleasure down to her core. This wasn't fair._

 _Her eyes caught his just as he gave her wrists a gentle squeeze._

" _Keep them there."_

 _And as much as she wanted to move them, his sharp commanding tone had somehow brought her to submission. She snarled at her quick defeat, but it soon disappeared the further down he traveled. Her breath quickened in anticipation, though she didn't know why-_

 _A sudden wave of pleasure washed over her as soon as his tongue made contact with her core in one long lick. She couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips. Her eyes widened in complete surprise over her reaction, meeting stormy blue orbs when his looked up in shock as well._

 _Another wave threatened to topple the control she had over her body as he gave another lick, but this time she managed to stifle the sounds that tried to escape._

" _Now that wouldn't do." His breath tickled her sensitive skin. "I want to hear you."_

 _She refused to give into his request, but it became harder to stifle her moans as he continued to explore her, his tongue sending jolts of pleasure up her spine every time it dipped into her core. She couldn't hold back anymore the moment his lips attached themselves to the bundle of nerves above her dripping sex. The strong waves of continued pleasure crashed into her body, forcing her moans to become louder and unhinged._

" _That's it Sunshine."_

 _She growled at his smug tone, frustrated with the things he was doing to her body, but the sound of her own moan broke through the moment he inserted a digit into her wet cavern. She vaguely heard his low groan, but she was too focused on the pressure building inside of her to care._

 _She was starting to lose her concentration, and thus her fight. She didn't understand how this was happening to her. Why wasn't she fighting back?_

 _The waves of pleasure continued to surge forward and pull back with the same rhythm as his finger, which soon became two and then three, causing her to submit to his touch. She no longer fought against the pleasure, opting to bask within it shamelessly, her own moans growing in volume. Her hands suddenly moved on their own, leaving their position above her head in favour of threading her fingers within his hair, trying to coax him into giving her something. What it was she didn't know. She just knew that she wanted…more._

 _But instead of heeding her wish, he completely stilled his movements._

 _Her displeased growl was immediate._

" _Hands." Her eyes locked onto his stormy blue ones and a flash of frustration shot through her before she slowly removed her hands from his hair, moving them so that they rested on the ground at her side. She was desperate to return them to where they were previously, so she dug her claws into the earth beneath her, in an attempt to keep them put._

" _Close enough." Her eyes narrowed at his smirk, but they soon rolled back into her head the moment he resumed at punishing speeds, sending spark upon spark of pure pleasure up her spine. She didn't even try to hold back the noises she made anymore._

 _Something was approaching at breakneck speeds. The crest of the wave, the height of the mountain. The blinding pleasure continued to build until she hung at the very edge of the cliff, staring down into the abyss below._

 _Her eyes locked onto his as he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of her core, his gaze glazed over with lust, which only served to increase hers._

" _Cum for me Sunshine."_

 _It was a combination of his words followed by the attachment of his mouth to her bundle of nerves and the sharp thrust of his fingers deep into her core that sent her over. She didn't know what was happening. He had struck a spot within her that had her seeing stars for only a moment, before a bright white burst of pleasure enveloped her. She couldn't stifle the loud moan that mixed itself in with her low growl as the waves of pleasure crashed over her. It had taken her many moments to compose herself, her eyes still locked onto his as she breathed heavily._

 _She stiffened at the small residual spark of pleasure when he pulled his fingers out of her. It didn't help that brought his fingers into his mouth, but his smirk brought her back to reality. How had she lost control like that so easily? What has he done to her?_

 _A sharp jolt of anger at both herself and the dragon slayer shot through her as she knocked him back onto the grass, hovering over him like a cat._

 _She snarled at the sly grin he gave her. "Satisfied?" Though a small sliver of her pride returned at his slight shiver when he caught her gaze. Trailing her eyes down his body, she caught the slight problem he had._

 _Her snarl quickly turned into a smirk. It was time to punish the one who disgraced her. With a large yawn, she laid herself down flush against his chest, her head against the crook of his neck…and promptly went to sleep._

xXx

Again both dragon and slayer shot up from their respective places, breathing heavily, their bodies blazing hot with arousal.

What the hell was that?!

Leora's eyes immediately shot down towards her own body, which was still highly sensitive from her dream. Her mind was in scrambles. If the dream from the night before was apparently real…then was this one real as well?! She growled, recalling all the things that the dragon slayer had done to her. W-What was he thinking?! How dare he do that to her?

How dare he touch her like that? And do t-those things to…her?

Another wave of arousal had her moaning out loud. When did this even happen? She was aware that the dream from the night before had been from when she had hunted during their time on Tenroujima. The only other time after that where she had given herself over to her instincts was…

The third night of the Grand Magic Games. When he had hunted for her.

Leora groaned, wondering why this all this was happening.

She didn't even understand why she was having these dreams now. Why hadn't she had them before? Is it because of her heat cycle? She knew that this time of year always caused her instincts to blend into her consciousness. Was that what was happening? Were her instincts trying to convey to her what had happened while she was under its control? What angered her was the fact that the dragon slayer had made no mention of any of this at all. Did he think that she wouldn't find out? …Maybe it actually didn't happen then. It couldn't be real. It just can't be. Her instincts would never accept what had happened, they would never submit to him…right?

Meanwhile, across the ocean in the town of Magnolia, Laxus was sitting up in his own bed, his chest heaving. Why was he having these kinds of dreams? And all in a row? His body tensed up as another wave of arousal crashed into him, making his member respond accordingly.

Did all of this have to do with the dragoness? And her heat cycle?

Was the Bond somehow affecting them?

Wait. Laxus' eyes widened in panic. If what he was thinking was true, and the bond was tying the both of them together and projecting these dreams to him at night then…

Was she dreaming about the same events as well?

If so…then he was a dead man when she returned.

Laxus needed to figure out what was going on, so he went to the only one who had some semblance of knowledge about this ordeal.

Freed.

* * *

"So…you've been having flashes of…arousal?" Freed confirmed while trying to keep a straight face as he stared at the dragon slayer across from him. He was a little concerned when Laxus' voice sounded a little flustered this morning over the communications lacrima. He had sped over to his house immediately, only to be sat down for what was then quite an embarrassing explanation.

"…Yes."

"And they weren't triggered by anything?"

"I think I'd know if something was turning me on Freed," Laxus grumbled.

"O-Of course," Freed answered. He already knew that this was not a subject that his leader had wanted to expand upon, so he tried to keep his questions as brief as possible.

"I just want to know if its somehow connected to what's happening to her," Laxus explained. Something like this has never happened before.

Freed contemplated on that for a second. "It is possible that you could be experiencing parts of her own body's reactions. You've mentioned before that the Bond between you two allows for you to experience each others emotions and physical nature. So it wouldn't surprise me if, due to the weakening of her control while she was under the influence of her baser instincts, that she's accidentally broadcasting part of her arousal onto you as well."

Laxus nodded and sat silent for a moment, before slowly approaching his next question. "Could this 'broadcasting' involve dreams?"

Freed blinked at his leader, trying to figure out whether it was a blush that he was seeing. "You've been experiencing dreams? What sort of dreams?"

Yes. It was definitely a blush that Freed was seeing.

"J-Just normal dreams, Freed. Normal dreams."

Freed tried to hold back his smile. "Well, it is possible that when the both of you are asleep and your control is at the weakest, your Bond, in reaction to the dragoness' heat cycle, could be connecting your consciousness together in the form of a dream."

"So...we're sharing dreams," Laxus reiterated just to be sure.

Freed nodded. "Quite possibly."

"…Shit."

"…What did you do Laxus?"

* * *

As night began to fall once more on the fifth night, after spending the entire day bed ridden in a mixture of pain and arousal, Leora was a little concerned about falling asleep. After last night's dream, she was a little hesitant in finding out what else the dragon slayer had done to her…

But there was nothing she could do as soon enough, the sun went down and she once again succumbed to her instincts.

xXx

 _The same dream from the night before had replayed itself on this night, going through every single detail again and sending her into another round of ecstasy. However, near the end of the scene, something was different. She found the familiar haze that surrounded her previous dreams begin to fade as soon as she had knocked the dragon slayer back down onto the grass, hovering over him like a cat._

" _Satisfied?"_

 _Her eyes once again trailed down his body before returning to stare at him. This was the point in the dream where she was supposed to fall asleep. And yet, it was here that the haze cleared entirely and she felt as if she had regained control of her body._

Her eyes widened slightly as she found herself in this position. The night before, she was merely a spectator within her own body, but now she found herself having control over her limbs. The residual waves of pleasure still resounded throughout her as she stared at him, unsure as to what to do. But for some reason, she found herself wondering just what it was that had made her instincts submit to this man below her.

She was curious.

He wasn't sure what was happening. One moment the same dream from the night before was replaying in his mind, going over exactly what he had the pleasure of doing to the dragoness. But then the familiar haze that came with the dream cleared and suddenly he was met with wide curious golden eyes. He noticed that they had lightened, and lost the feral edge that they always had when her instincts had taken over. She continued to stare at him, unmoving as she straddled his body.

What was happening?

She didn't know why, but slowly, one of her hands lifted and proceeded to trail down his chest, starting from where his lightning mark began. She had apparently done this before, so she decided to repeat the gesture, hoping to find out what had appealed to her other side. She felt this dream dragon slayers' muscles tense up as her claws brushed against them. She could hear his breath quickening as she lifted off of him and proceeded to slink downwards, her hands following suit. Soon she found herself face to face with another object of her curiosity. Apparently she had placed her mouth upon this…

He was panicking inside his mind. This was feeling too real. Her scent, her presence and her touch were all so prominent at this very moment. He couldn't help but realize how aroused he still was as she trailed her hands down his body. And when she reached her destination, her mouth hovering over his hard member he couldn't believe that this was happening. This wasn't a part of the dream!

He almost stopped breathing when he heard her voice. Something that he had never heard before when she was in this state.

"…It's just a dream," she whispered, just before she dipped down and gave his cock one long lick.

She was a little thrown off by the sound of his guttural moan as soon as her tongue had made contact with his sex. That sound was new…and intrigued her. Was this why she was so interested? Wanting to find out more, she continued, listening for those same moans as she proceeded to replicate when she had done that night on Tenroujima.

He had already been so hard from when he had been pleasuring the dragoness, that her touch had almost sent him over the edge. Though he didn't last long the moment she enveloped him in one go, taking him as far as she was capable. Sparks of pure pleasure travelled down his spine and soon he found himself reaching his climax, a sensation, stronger than he had experienced before, crashed into him the moment he came. His loud groan permeated the air as she slowly finished him off.

Her brows were still furrowed in confusion as she watched the dragon slayer ride the high of his climax. While his taste wasn't unpleasant…

"I still don't understand…" she whispered, as she crawled up his body once again. Her tail flickered lazily behind her. "Why you?"

His eyes widened at her question. That can't be. It couldn't actually be her in this dream with him could she? Was this what Freed was talking about? About their Bond connecting their minds together? Was it really her consciousness that was asking that question?

...Why him.

For some reason that angered him. She had asked it with a tone that left him thinking that she was completely bewildered as to why she would dream about someone like _him_. As if she never would've considered the possibility that she could feel pleasure from _him_.

He growled low, wanting to prove her wrong. "I can show you why, Sunshine."

Her eyes shot open the moment he flipped them back around and started kissing down her neck. "W-What are you doing?!"

"I thought I just told you," he whispered against her skin as he nipped at her collarbone.

She hissed at the sensation. "Stop. This is my dream."

"So this is what you dream about Sunshine? So naughty," he chuckled at the growl she gave him.

"You aren't real," she snarled.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that," he mumbled against her skin. He nipped his way down her chest until he reached their bond mark. "Apparently, this-" He gave the lightning shaped mark a long lick, eliciting quite the interesting hiss. "-is somehow connecting our minds together in our sleep."

"That's impossible," she growled. "This isn't real, just like all the other dreams weren't real."

"Hate to break it to you, but what happened in your dreams in the past four nights, had happened in real life," he said just before he gave her nipple a gentle flick of his tongue, grinning at the small moan that escaped her lips. "You just forgot every morning afterwards, how cruel."

"Liar, I wouldn't-"

"-Submit to a human like me?" He finished off her sentence with a slightly pained laugh. "Well this is where I'm going to prove you wrong." His other hand reached up to gently fondle the neglected breast.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to will the sensations away, but it only grew stronger. Her body was still too sensitive from what had just happened before.

"I don't know if you've noticed or not Sunshine, but you don't seem to be fighting this at all," he smirked. It was one of the reasons why he kept going. Despite his release just minutes before, seeing her subconsciously arch into his touch was making him rock hard all over again.

His words had awakened that fact in her mind, causing her to struggle against him. She attempted to buck him off of her, but given the close proximity of their bodies, it had dire consequences. Her sharp movement had caused the very tip of his arousal to accidentally slip into her core, causing both parties to freeze.

She gasped at the sensation and immediately pulled away, feeling him slip out of her before breathing heavily as she realized what had almost happened. He groaned low as his head fell onto her shoulder. For just a small moment he had felt her tight heat enveloping the tip of his member, and boy did it make him yearn for more. But he knew if he had tried for anything more, she would murder him for sure.

"Sunshine…are you trying to kill me here?"

She growled and took his moment of weakness as the opportunity to flip their positions. A clawed hand rested at his throat. "How dare you do those things to me?" She tried not to think about the tingling sensation near the entrance of her core, nor how empty it currently felt.

He snarled up at her, a spark of rage running through him when he heard her words. How dare she blame all this on him? "You're the one who started all of this. And it wasn't just the once. Or did you already forget what you just did minutes before?"

She stiffened when she remembered her brief moment of curiosity and cried out when his hands suddenly grabbed hold of her hips, before slowly grinding his erection directly against her core. Immediately, a burning fire spread throughout her nether regions, building in heat the more he moved against her.

"What are you doing?!" she hissed at a particularly sharp roll of his hips.

He smirked at her pleasant reaction. "Reminding you again why it is me."

Unable to keep her body up as she battled against the pleasure, she collapsed against his chest, breathing heavily.

"S-Stop." she choked, her head against the crook of his neck as the sensations pulsed though her.

True to her request, he immediately halted. But he smirked in victory, when he caught the tiniest of whimpers near his ear. "Are you sure you want me to stop Sunshine?"

She gritted her teeth and willed her body to stay still, but her hips betrayed her, moving on their own. She tried to stifle the moan that tried to escape her when the tip of his arousal brushed against the bundle of nerves above her core.

"Damn it Sunshine," he hissed at the sparks of pleasure he felt watching her move all on her own. That stubborn dragon, she still refused to admit the possibility of her liking this. "Don't blame me for this later." The hands on her hips tightened their grip as he proceeded at a punishing pace. The loud moans she let out right next to his ear, sent bolts of pleasure directly to his arousal. The feeling of her dripping sex right against his cock was sending him closer and closer to the edge. But he wanted her to fall with him.

She couldn't concentrate on fighting him anymore, succumbing to the pleasure the dragon slayer was giving her. The feeling of his arousal against her core sent waves of heat throughout her body, building with each thrust. A small part of her wanted more than just this, but she refused to give in.

He couldn't hold back anymore and came with a large thrust and loud groan. "Leora…"

Suddenly hearing her name from the dragon slayer sent her tumbling over the edge with a soft moan. Both lay there for a while after riding the high of their climax, one atop the other, catching their breath as they tried to register what had just happened. She was the first to compose herself and immediately tried to get herself off the dragon slayer and hopefully out of this bizarre dream, but he flipped them around once again, his face hovering dangerous close to hers.

She could feel his warm breath against her lips. "What are you doing?"

"Taking what's mine," he murmured before he lowered his lips to hers-

xXx

Leora shot straight up from her bed of furs, her breathing erratic. Her mind blanked as she simply absorbed what had just happened to her in her latest dream. Did she just? N-no she didn't.

 _It was just a dream._

The pain and arousal she had felt during the past week had finally dissipated, leaving only the feeling of soreness throughout her body. It was earlier than she had expected but she was finally over her heat cycle. But she whimpered as she felt the dampness in between her legs and the soft tingling sensation on her lips. She fell back against her furs, staring at the sky above her in disbelief.

 _It wasn't real, it wasn't real, it wasn't real…_

* * *

Laxus shot up from his bed, his heart racing as his mind recalled his latest dream. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Did she really allow him to do those things to her? No…she wouldn't do that.

 _It was just a dream._

He groaned as he looked down to see himself covered in the embarrassing evidence of his own release. He fell back against his mattress, staring up at the ceiling above him in disbelief.

 _It was real…_

He was a dead man.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Oh my, that was actually quite the tough chapter to write. Had to cut a lot of stuff out before it pieced together right. It was quite fun to finally write what the other side of their 'encounters' was like and what her thoughts were. And well now, she knows, though she's definitely still in denial LOL. Also:** **"Do you think it will all stop if I clawed out my reproductive organs?", definitely my favourite line of the chapter.**_

 _ **It's Not a Date! Update: For those who haven't seen it, I've also posted the second spin off chapter ("Its Not a Day at the Beach!) for this main story, featuring the relationship building affects of sunscreen and gravure photoshoots.**_

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	25. Arc III-25: Fairies

**Chapter 25**

To say Laxus was irritated would be an understatement. At this point in time he was beyond irritated, frustrated and borderlining on anger. He had expected her to come back, enraged, to confront him about what had happened during her week of absence. He had been prepared for her wrath, but this, this was worse. She had done the one thing he hadn't wanted her to do and now it was killing him.

She was avoiding him.

It was subtle at first, and no one else had noticed except for him and the Raijinshuu since they were most familiar with her habits. But she was definitely avoiding him, subtly refusing to be in the same room with him, alone. Somehow, she always managed to be around someone else, which was an amazing feat. Even when they were alone in his house, she hid inside her room, leaving and entering through her window.

There was no sign that she was angry with him, or even irritated. In fact, she had betrayed no opinion as to the dream he was sure they had shared. She simply…pretended like nothing had happened. As if it was insignificant to her.

He had tried to confront her one morning when she attempted to leave the house through her window again. He waited by the windowsill when she climbed out and pinned her to the wall.

" _About last week," he started, staring her down._

 _Her eyes immediately went on guard. "What about it?"_

" _Was there anything you wanted to talk about?" He felt awkward phrasing it like this, but he didn't know how else to approach it. His heart clenched when he heard her response._

" _No," Leora's reply was stiff. "Nothing happened."_

 _He tried to hold in his anger when she simply stepped by him before heading towards the guild._

 _Nothing happened…_

 _His fists clenched by his side._

To add to his already foul mood, this week just so happened to coincide with the planning of something else he had dreaded for the longest time.

The Harvest Festival.

He didn't think that it would happen again so soon, and it brought up memories that he didn't want to resurface. Memories of his attempted usurping and the pitting of his guild members against one another still racked him with guilt after all this time. It seemed so long ago and yet here it was again.

To make matters worse, since they had postponed the festival for seven years due to the events that had happened on Tenrou Island and their long absence, his Gramps had decided to make this year's events a week long affair, meaning this torture had just been extended an extra five days. And it wasn't just him that was affected by this; he knew that the Raijinshuu were just as bothered. But despite that, the rest of the guild made no snide comments towards them and instead were welcoming them into the preparations - something they had all refused. They were being too kind. They didn't deserve to participate.

Since returning to Magnolia a week prior, Leora had been struggling to get the dreams out of her mind. She thought she would've been angry when she returned, and she wanted to, but the moment she laid eyes on him when she returned, her anger dissipated. It was…frustrating. To make matters worse, whenever she was around him, the image of him on top of her kept popping up. It had gotten to the point where she opted to wear the bracelet that hid her scent just so he wouldn't notice her…reactions. She tried to convince herself that they weren't real, at least, not the very last one. She refused to believe that it had actually happened. But being around him was making it increasingly difficult to forget so she opted to avoid him. She knew she was being childish, but it had helped. By the end of the week, she had successfully convinced herself that everything was just a fluke, a manifestation of her mind high on her heat cycle.

But after she had calmed down, she noticed something odd about the dragon slayer and the Raijinshuu. They seemed…upset and depressed. They spent most of the week hiding in their own houses and away from the guild. They wouldn't even venture outside to catch a glimpse of the preparations for this 'Harvest Festival' that the town was getting excited about. To be honest, even she was slightly excited for it as well. Apparently this year it was to be the first in seven years.

So Leora went and asked Levy what was wrong with them, pleased that she was present at the guild. Apparently they had disappeared for the entire week she had been gone and had only returned recently. Leora gleamed and practically skipped to her table when she caught sight of the blue-haired mage, sliding into the booth next to her…and across from the iron dragon slayer. She commented on the new 'accessory' that adorned the side of her neck, a small little mark that definitely wasn't there before, causing the Solid Script mage to blush in embarrassment. Levy had already fielded all the questions and comments from the guild when she had first returned, so she wasn't surprised when Leora joined in on the fun.

Gajeel on the other hand was quite displeased at how close the dragoness was to his new…mate. Though Levy quickly shot down the notion that Leora 'leave them the hell alone' and proceeded to answer Leora's question about Laxus and the Raijinshuu. After the blunette had explained the events that led to Laxus' eventual excommunication, Leora finally understood why they were all so depressed.

Well she had to fix that.

* * *

"People of Magnolia and nearby towns! Now is what all you were waiting for! After seven long years...The Miss Fairy Contest! I'll be your announcer, Max Alors!"

The crowd cheered with mass enthusiasm as Max introduced the event they have all been waiting for, particularly the men in the house.

Bickslow sat in a corner table on the second floor, staring grumpily at the crowd and stage on the floor below them. "Why do we have to be here again?"

"Because the Master said you had to show," Leora pointed out, sitting next to him and watching as well while she munched on an apple. "All Fairy Tail mages had to be present."

The first contestant to show up on stage was last year's reigning champion, Erza Scarlet, walking up in her full battle armor before requiping into…a dominatrix outfit. Leora took quick notes in her head at how wild the crowd went for that display.

Bickslow grumbled his discontent. He didn't want to be here. It brought back too many unpleasant memories that he wanted to forget. "Then why isn't Laxus and Freed here?"

"They are," Leora pointed towards a group of blushing women, with the dragon slayer standing right in the middle. Freed was trying to push his way through the crowd in order to free his precious Laxus. She was…slightly displeased with the image, but she couldn't exactly pinpoint why.

Bickslow raised his brow at Leora's expression, wondering what she was currently thinking. It was quite indecipherable. For the past week, she had barely been alone with Laxus, and the rest of the Raijinshuu were curious as to why. "Jealous?"

"Of what?" Leora asked, her tone a little flat as she turned back towards the contest, though she kept one eye on the dragon slayer. Mira had just walked off the stage after coming out in a babydoll dress, much to the crowd's pleasure.

Bickslow chuckled as he caught her sideways glance back towards Laxus. "Nothing, never mind."

Leora rolled her eyes. "Don't you have your own problems to worry about?" Right at that moment Cana walked onto the stage, showing off the beauty of her card magic before changing into another revealing swimsuit. Leora took a quick look at the seith mage and smiled. "You're drooling."

Bickslow blushed, turning his head away. "Am not."

Leora laughed, watching as Lucy came out to show off her spirits before changing into…another swimsuit. "I see that swimsuits are very popular in this contest." Interesting.

Bickslow laughed loudly, his tongue hanging out. "Well they are men."

"Hmm…that's true," Leora mused. Levy had just come onto the stage, though she was only allowed to show off her magic, lest Gajeel murder the rest of the crowd for staring at his new mate.

Bickslow then noticed something. "Hey where's Ever?"

Leora smiled. "Down there." Ever was the easiest one to convince to participate. She was hesitant at first, telling her about how she had ruined the contest the last time, but with all the encouragement from the other girls as well, she was now walking onto the stage with a smile on her face. She stunned the crowd with a beautiful display of her Fairy magic, before changing into a revealing dress. A certain 'man' definitely took notice.

Bickslow smiled down at the Fairy woman was well. It was great that girls were able to forgive Ever for what she had done. Though it still didn't ease his own uncertainties. He turned back to Leora, but she had disappeared.

"Now, our last contestant of the day, Fairy Tail's own golden goddess-"

 _Oh no._ Bickslow turned to where Laxus was and already he saw his expression darkening. The dragon slayer had immediately pushed the hoards of women away from him and was now standing by the railing, staring down at the stage with a snarl. He knew that Laxus was already in a bad mood from everything that happened this week, he wasn't going to like this.

Max announced his next contestant. "-Leora Vermillion!"

And with a sharp bolt of lightning, Leora appeared on the stage, dressed in an elegant short white dress that flowed gently as her feet landed on the wooden floor. Her golden hair having been magically French braided in the short span of her disappearance, now rested over one shoulder. Adding the light of the sun that shined in from the open guild doors, everyone in the guild had the same thought.

She looked like an angel.

Leora smiled as she gazed upon the shocked faces of the audience. Guess she didn't go wrong with this outfit choice. She was never really able to give up a good competition, no matter the conditions, so she was here aiming to win. The crowd started cheering wildly, hooting and hollering, though within a few seconds it strangely went silent.

Little did Leora know that the audience was currently facing a certain dragon slayer's dark aura as he stood on the second floor railing, glaring at them, just daring them to continue to cheer. They all shut up in fear. Bickslow sweatdropped at the show of dominance made by his leader.

But Leora was confused as to the sudden silence so she continued with her routine, realizing that the audience might prefer a little…something else. The other girls had continued with a show of their magic, but Leora figured that her magic might cause quite the terror so she opted to show off her lightning. Beautiful little sparks lit the stage above her like tiny stars, coming together to make a bright sparkling dragon that flew over the crowd before bursting like fireworks, showering the audience in tiny sparkles of electricity. Despite Laxus' intimidation factor, the crowd couldn't help but watch in awe, applauding loudly at the spectacle. Though by the time people's attention were back on the stage their jaws had dropped to the ground.

Similar to the other girls in the contest, Leora had made a wardrobe change. Turning from pure snowy white to the darkest black, Leora had combined Erza's dominatrix concept with the skimpy concept of the swimsuit theme to create the most damning of outfits. With only enough black leather fabric to cover her feminine assets, Leora looked like she had come out of a very…inappropriate magazine. Her braided hair had been released and now flowed wildly around her, completely her look.

Within minutes the dragoness had gone from angel…to devil in the most tantalizing way.

Nosebleeds were a instant occurrence through the crowd, mainly amongst the male audience. Many had lifted their hands up in an attempt to clap, but the dark aura on the second floor had only grown stronger, practically suffocating the air. Bickslow was the only one that could laugh at Leora's confusion as to why no one was cheering for her, while Freed was currently trying to hide his eyes from the indecency.

"Maybe it's not enough," Leora mumbled, slightly frustrated with the lack of response as she tried to undo a couple more ties on her outfit. The eyes of the men in the crowd widened and nosebleeds bled faster, but before Leora could get anything more untied, she felt a slight weight fall onto her shoulders. Confused she turned to see herself being covered by…a fur-lined coat? She turned up towards the second floor to see the dark scowl present on the coat's owner. Slightly annoyed by his interference, she was about to remove the coat that he had obviously thrown on her when Evergreen grabbed her by the shoulders and proceeded to drag her to the back of the stage where the other girls were.

"Sorry Leora, but there's nothing you could do about this one," Evergreen gave her a sympathetic smile. The brunette had caught the death stare given to the audience and if anything more had been shown she was pretty sure the crowd would have met a swift death by lightning. Leora huffed, but she let Evergreen take her away as she pulled the coat around her shoulders, effectively blocking the crowd from seeing anymore.

Taking the hint, Max quickly concluded the contest, informing the audience that any voting can take place throughout the week before winners are announced the week after.

After the crowd from the contest had died down, Laxus attempted to find the dragoness on the floor below, wanting to give her a piece of his mind. Her bearing her body to random strangers did nothing to curb the already terrible mood he was in. But no matter where he looked, he couldn't find her.

Locating Evergreen, he approached her for answers. "Ever. Where is she?"

Evergreen flinched slightly at the rough tone of his voice. Leora was in for it now… "She was right here-oh?" Evergreen took a quick look at where she had left the dragoness, but now she was nowhere in sight. "Well she was here a moment ago."

Laxus growled in frustration. Where the hell did she go? He didn't get the chance to look for her as moments later, Makarov appeared on the second floor railing.

Makarov cleared his throat. "Mages of Fairy Tail. It is great to see all of us gathered here this week to celebrate the Harvest Festival once again. After being postponed for seven years it makes me extremely happy to be able to host this once again. This year's theme throughout the festival is 'Forgiveness'." Everyone looked towards Laxus and the Raijinshuu, who were now feeling very uncomfortable being here. Laxus cursed to himself as his fists clenched. He should've known better than to come here today.

Makarov continued. "And to celebrate this, we have decided to host the second 'Battle of Fairy Tail'"

Laxus' roar could be heard throughout the guild. "What the hell are you trying to do Gramps?!" He was seething with anger. This was like ripping open an old wound, why would his Gramps do this not just to him but the Raijinshuu as well?

Makarov sighed. "Laxus, Raijinshuu, we all have noted how upset you four have been throughout this week and no matter what we would say, it won't change a thing until we all prove to you as a guild that we forgave your actions long ago and wish to move forward instead of wallowing in the past."

The Raijinshuu all looked to each in shame, but the other members of the guild looked to them with gentle, encouraging smiles.

Natsu on the other hand was more than fired up. "Yosh! Let's get this started already then!" He didn't even hate the first time, when Laxus made up this game during the last Harvest Festival. In fact, he had been waiting for the chance to spar against his guild members again and this made the best opportunity.

Laxus growled. "I ain't playing this stupid game…" He started to head towards the entrance of the guild, the Raijinshuu staring at him with worried looks. They knew that Laxus had felt the most guilt about this.

But Makarov ignored him. "Well then, shall we introduce our host?"

A large lacrima broadcast suddenly appeared right above the entrance to the guild, halting Laxus in his tracks. There, sitting on a giant throne, still wearing _his_ coat and a dangerous smirk…was the dragoness. She had changed back into her regular attire of a cropped black corset and long black pants with combat boots. She sat with one leg crossed over the other and her arms crossed underneath her chest.

"What the hell…" Laxus snarled.

The others all turned towards the screen as well and immediately noticed something.

"She kinda looks like a female Laxus…" "Damn that's kinda hot…"

"She looks badass…" "Man!" "What the hell does that even mean?!"

Laxus growled low at the screen, but even he made the connection. If he wasn't currently infuriated, he would've found the image to be quite…enticing. "What the hell are you doing Sunshine?"

"Playing the game," Leora gave them all a dark smirk. She would enjoy playing this role. "Welcome to the Battle of Fairy Tail 2.0"

Her eyes darkened with amusement. "The rules are simple. Make your way around the town in order to come find me. However, you may or may not encounter some…difficulties along the way." The image of a rune barrier suddenly appeared on the screen, reminiscent of the ones Freed used to trap the guild members in before. Over by the side Freed looked away in shame, but Levy, who was standing next to him, gave his arm a quick squeeze of encouragement.

"Keep listening," Levy whispered, having been the one who wrote all the runes in town for this event. Though they definitely weren't as strong as Freed's, they should hold up for the game. Everyone in the guild was in on this today. This day was for Laxus and the Raijinshuu.

Freed reluctantly turned back towards the screen.

"Should you become entrapped with another member of the guild," Leora explained. "You have two options: Fight or Flight."

Natsu was already fired up. "Who the hell would want to run away! Of course we are all fighting!" His fists were already lit ablaze.

Leora gave Natsu a dark glare for the interruption, causing the fire mage to squeal and hide behind a sighing Lucy. "If you fight, the first one to tag out loses and is out of the game. If you choose 'flight' however…" Leora smiled. "There may be some consequences before either of you are released."

Freed released a breath of relief. They weren't forced to fight…not like he made the others…

"Should you be lucky enough to actually find me," Leora continued. "There will be no flight option."

Loud murmurs could be heard throughout the guild members. They had to fight a dragon?!

Leora laughed at the slight panic she could see through the lacrima screen. "Don't worry. I'm not looking to be defeated." A bright gaudy ruby necklace suddenly appeared around her neck. "The first one to steal this necklace from me and bring it back to the Master in the guild, wins."

"What's the prize?!" Someone asked from the crowd.

Leora gave a dark smile. "I'm glad you asked. Aside from being able to keep the ruby necklace, which I heard sells for about two million jewels." Loud murmurs can already be heard from the crowd in regards to what they could do with that kind of money.

Leora's voice darkened, hinting towards a sultry tone, as she leaned towards the lacrima screen. "You get to ask for one thing from me."

The murmuring stopped, everyone looking towards the screen with disbelief. One brave soul asked the question many others were currently thinking of. "A-anything?"

Leora smirked, revealing her sharp fangs. "Anything." The lacrima shut off moments later.

When that point sank in, immediately most of the guild had rushed out the door in search of the dragoness, leaving dust to the wind. The only ones that hesitated were the main members.

Freed stood still, not sure if he had processed this right. But Mira had come up beside him and gave him a soft smile. "We said we'd have fun this year right?" Freed looked to her with shock, before he broke out into a gentle smile. He nodded and was the first of the Raijinshuu to run out of the guild, along with Mira.

Lucy stepped up next to Bickslow, with Loke already summoned next to her. Gray also joined them as well. "Let's get a rematch Bickslow?" Bickslow looked to the three of them in disbelief before he also caved and followed them out of the guild.

The last of the Raijinshuu stood in a staring contest with the Titania herself. Erza gave her a smile, offering her hand to which Evergreen accepted. Without any words exchanged, the two Fairies left the guild together.

The last to leave was Laxus, who was still unconvinced by all this.

"Come on Laxus! You're going to lose!" Natsu raged, hoping to convince the lightning dragon slayer to play. He was the one that Natsu wanted to fight the most.

"This is bullshit," Laxus spat, wanting to head home right this moment. He didn't even know why the dragoness decided to play along with all this.

"Laxus my boy, don't be like this," Makarov said as he walked down to the first floor. "She did this for you, you know."

That only infuriated Laxus more. "What the hell?! She thought of this? Why?"

"Why don't you ask her that yourself?" Makarov asked.

Laxus growled, still refusing to move.

That was when Gajeel decided to step in, annoyed by the dragon slayer's stubbornness. He knew of the one thing that would definitely get him out the door. "You do know what the dragoness put up for the winner right?" Laxus turned towards him with a snarl. "She said that the winner could ask for anything. _Anything_ lightning rod. I highly doubt that the guys out there right now are playing with clean minds."

That did the trick. With a loud roar of frustration, Laxus burst out of the guild, grumbling about stupid dragons. Gajeel and Natsu looked to each other with smirks of victory, before realizing that they were now in last place. Yelping, the pair rushed out of the guild, in hopes of trying to find the dragoness.

* * *

Freed and Mira had only been running around town for a couple of minutes, trying to find Leora, when suddenly they were trapped within a large rune barrier right in front of a bar. Freed panicked when he saw the runes, afraid that he was to fight Mira once again. But she merely looked at him with a smile.

 _Fight or Flight?_ The runes had asked.

Immediately Freed chose 'Flight', though based on the sinister smile on Mira's face he wasn't quite sure if that was the right choice anymore.

 _Participants must serve fifty drinks at the bar before they may leave._

Freed paled. He was to lose for sure. The pair made their way over to the bar, which was currently swamped with lunch hour guests who had gathered to watch the game. Standing behind the bar, Freed tried for the first time to serve drinks to the thirsty customers. Struggling, Freed had only made five or so proper beverages when he turned towards Mira, who had already finished all fifty…

"How…" Freed whispered in awe, to which Mira only gave him a giggle. The runes then signalled that Mira was free to leave, but to Freed's surprise, she stayed.

Mira gave him a soft smile. "Let me teach you?"

And soon, under Mira's instruction, Freed started finishing his task a little faster, reaching his fifty thirty minutes later. And what he found as he was accomplishing his task, with Mira occasionally giggling at his clumsiness, was that-

He was having fun.

Mira delightfully watched as Freed finished his task with a smile on his face. It made her happy that the man who had once lie defeated on the ground with tears running down his face was now grinning at the customers with pride as he served his last drink.

With the runes down for the both of them, the pair continued on, laughing as they passed by others in similar situations as theirs.

Bickslow had found himself trapped in front of an orphanage with Lucy and Loke as well, and had also chosen the 'flight' option. The task? Put on a show for the children of the orphanage. Once all the children have applauded at least once the participant is free to leave. Lucy and Loke decided to try first, with an impromptu comedy sketch…which left none of the children impressed. Pushing them aside with a laugh, Bickslow put on a combination acrobatics show along with his babies, which surprisingly earned him a standing ovation.

Lucy and Loke looked at each with grins as they saw Bickslow's wide smile as he was cheered on by the children. And with that Bickslow was free to go, leaving Lucy and Loke with blank faces, wondering how they were going to get free.

Bickslow turned back with a hysterical laugh. "Sorry Cosplayer! But I want to win!"

Evergreen definitely paled when she was trapped with the Titania, leading her to pick the 'flight' option, similar to her other teammates. Much to her delight, their task was to perform one act from a play requested by the local theatre group, to entertain the travellers that had come to enjoy the festival. Given Erza's…'wonderful' acting skills, there was no doubt who would make it out first. Erza watched proudly as Evergreen ran off with a smile on her face.

Laxus was the only one that was _not_ having fun whatsoever as he made his way around town. He cursed the fact that the dragoness had worn her stupid bracelet out this morning, meaning he was unable to track her through scent. He practically bolted across town, trying not to notice the other participants, but after a while he started to see...

They were having fun.

They were playing almost the same game as the one he had forced them to play the last time, except this time…they were laughing. He watched as some pairs engaged in friendly sparing if they chose to fight and others completing other tasks if they chose the 'flight' option. He also noted that if they chose the 'flight' option, the tasks usually involved helping the townsfolk. Elfman practically dominated the task of moving a hundred crates while Kinana breezed through serving eighty dishes at the local diner.

And they were all doing this with a smile.

Laxus scoffed at the idea. It still didn't improve his mood whatsoever. He even rolled his eyes as he came across the three-man brawl between Natsu, Gray and Gajeel. How they managed to end up trapped together he had no idea.

Half an hour later and Laxus was still searching, though when he passed by another major street, he cursed when he was suddenly trapped inside a rune barrier.

"Laxus…" Natsu wheezed, his body covered in lumps and bruises from his win against Gajeel and Gray. "F-Fight mee…" He yelped when Laxus turned around with a dangerous expression on his face, a dark cloud of annoyance surrounding his body.

A swift punch and a knocked out Natsu later, and Laxus left grumbling. "Not in the mood today Natsu…"

Laxus finally took an educated guess as to where the dragoness would be. Seeing as she obviously knew what had happened during the last Battle of Fairy Tail, he went to the one place he really hoped she wouldn't be. But when he climbed those stone steps and burst through the heavy doors of Kardia Cathedral, he cursed.

There sitting on the throne, with her head resting on one palm and her foot tapping in boredom…was Leora.

Laxus growled, his anger returning full force. It didn't matter that she looked absolutely delectable sitting there with his coat draped over her shoulders. He was still furious as to why she had played along with this farce to begin with. It only reopened wounds that he didn't want to face again.

"I thought you'd be the first one here," Leora said, standing to her feet. She removed his coat and rested it on the throne behind her. The ruby necklace gleamed in the light that now came in through the door. "It's been a while since we've fought."

Laxus snarled, lightning starting to surround his body. "Fine, if you really want to do this, I'll play into your game." He burst forward at the speed of light, his fists already sparking in anger. He swung for her, but she disappeared just as fast, reappearing a couple of feet away.

"You're still angry," Leora pointed out, as she dodged a kick, backflipping out of the way. She continued to dodge every strike that he made.

Laxus growled. "Of course I'm angry! Why the hell did you do all this?!"

Leora didn't answer, merely arching backwards as she avoided another kick. She only dodged as he continued to attack her, letting him blow off some steam.

Laxus roared in frustration as he continued to miss. His anger was making him clumsy. "Why did you stick your nose where it doesn't belong?!" He burst forward for another punch.

Leora was so caught off guard by that question that she didn't have enough time to dodge, having to cross her arms in front of her to block. She gritted her teeth as the punch pushed her halfway across the cathedral, her feet digging into the ground to stop her from colliding into a pillar.

The moment he realized that he had finally hit her, Laxus froze. He couldn't believe that he had actually struck her…

"You were upset." Leora answered, taking advantage of his slight pause as she shook off his attack.

Laxus looked towards her. "What?"

"You were upset, because of a mistake that you had made and refused to forget," Leora said as she stood across from him. "I just wanted to replace those memories with new, happier ones." She didn't know why she had done it, but from the moment Levy had finished explaining things to her, this was what she had come up with, and the Master wholehearted agreed.

Leora walked towards the entrance of the cathedral, staring down the steps and towards the town. "Right now, out there, I don't hear screams. Instead I hear laughter. And I'm sure you do too." She turned towards him with a smile, her golden hair catching the bright sun. "Now isn't that the memory worth keeping?"

It was such a simple statement that Laxus was left speechless as he stood there staring at her with wide eyes mixed with both amazement and regret. For the past week, he had been so selfish, wallowing in his own guilt from what he had done as well as his frustration that she had been ignoring him. But she? She had noticed his inner turmoil…and sought to cure it. She had done all of this…for him.

Laxus took a deep breath, trying to keep all of his emotions in, his anger having been completely dissipated by the goddess in front of him. "Sunshine…you never fail to amaze me." It was like he was falling for her all over again.

"What-mmph!" Leora was unprepared when Laxus suddenly walked up to her and grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulling her up to him in a bruising kiss. Her eyes shot wide open, registering what was happening. What was going on? Wasn't he supposed to be angry at her?! Her hands pushed against his chest in an attempt for him to let go, but he was unyielding. And the longer their lips touched, the less she was able to fight it. She found her eyes gently fluttering shut, the slight tingling in her lips returning full force until it burned like a flame. She gasped when he bit her lip gently, allowing his tongue to enter and entangle with hers. Her breath quickened and her hands unconsciously fisted into his shirt, holding on for an unknown reason.

She had tried to fight against it, but she soon submitted to the battle for dominance inside her mouth, letting him take charge as she registered his smoky taste against her tongue. All the dreams that she had fought so hard to forget suddenly resurfaced, flooding her mind with images of him and only him. She couldn't hold back the soft moan that surfaced and was immediately swallowed up by him. But, she still managed to hear the sound inside her head, which awoke the alarms inside her mind.

Panicking, she immediately pushed him away, breaking their lips apart. Her palms pressed against his chest, holding him away at arms-length as she tried to catch her breath. She didn't dare look into his eyes at the moment, so she opted to stare at the floor.

"W-What did you-?" Leora breathed. She could hear her own heart beating erratically.

"I'm pretty sure you know what that was Sunshine," Laxus said solemly, staring down at the top of her head.

Leora stood there for a couple moments more, breathing heavily until she whispered under her breath. "And after all I that effort to forget that dream..."

A slight pain went through Laxus' chest. He didn't exactly know what to feel. Happy that the dream they shared was real, or depressed at the notion that she had wanted to forget it. Either or, he didn't have the time to decide for Leora suddenly sprang up after having noticed something.

"The necklace!" Leora exclaimed, grabbing at her neck. "It's…gone." She immediately panicked, forgetting the kiss and started molesting the dragon slayer in front of her in hopes of finding it.

"What the-"

"Wait," Leora cut him off, sniffing the air before she had honed down the scent. It was brief but she was certain of its owner.

"Bickslow…"

She glared up at him and growled in annoyance. "Was that all supposed to be a distraction?!" Before Laxus could answer her, she was already running out the cathedral, taking flight as soon as she made it outside.

Laxus let out a groan of frustration as he combed a hand through his hair. He slammed a fist into a neighbouring column. "Who the hell would do that as a distraction Sunshine…" He didn't know what to feel at the moment. The dragoness was a bundle of mixed signals that he didn't know how to interpret. He looked down at his shirt, taking note of the one area where it wrinkled. He didn't hallucinate her reaction right? The dancing of her tongue against his, the fisting of her hand into his shirt. He swore he heard her moan…that was all real right?

She did all that, and yet she pushed him away from her. Willed herself to forget the dream he was now certain that she was aware of. He wanted to slap himself in the face just to get all this thoughts straight.

He didn't know what to think, but one thing was certain.

She cared for him, whether she knew it or not.

And at the moment, that was enough.

* * *

Leora was utterly flustered. How did Bickslow manage to steal the necklace literally right from under her nose?! How could she have been so…so distracted by that…k-kiss that she completely let the seith mage underneath her radar?! And if he was able to steal it during that moment then…he must have seen what they were doing. Her eyes widened in horror. She'd never hear the end of it.

Flying with a determination that she didn't even know she had, she caught up to the seith mage who had almost reached the guild by then. He was running through a dark alley – probably to escape the notice of the other mages still looking – when she swooped down and slammed him against the wall. She smirked when she caught his face paling just slightly and watched as he swallowed down his fear.

Her voice darkened dangerously. "You saw nothing."

Bickslow was currently scared shitless underneath the dragoness' death stare. He hadn't seen a look like that on her face since the days she had still been trying to kill Laxus. But this was just too good an opportunity to tease Leora. He hadn't meant to take it from her in the beginning. Honestly, at first, he was so shocked that he merely stood there with his jaw dropped, before pinching his face to be sure and then continuing to gap like a fish. Then when he figured that they weren't coming up for air anytime soon, and hadn't yet noticed he was there, he realized that he had an opportunity. He saw the obnoxiously large ruby necklace just dangling innocently around her neck, so…he just kind of went in and grabbed it. Then he ran like his life depended on it. Apparently he hadn't run fast enough.

"What do you mean?" Bickslow asked, innocently.

Leora growled low. "You know what I'm talking about."

Bickslow grinned so widely she swore he was stretching some of his muscles too hard. "Oh, did you mean how you were smacking lips with a certain lightning-" Even the yelp he let out when she fried him didn't give her any satisfaction. His azure blue hair now stood on its very ends and sizzled lightly like it had just been put on a grill.

"That. Didn't. Happen." Leora stressed as she glared at him, her golden orbs flashed dangerously dark.

Bickslow gulped at her stare, but realized that he now had leverage for what he wanted.

Leora didn't like the grin the seith mage had as he stared down at her. She had forgotten how tall he was, almost the same height as Laxus.

…Why was she comparing Bickslow to _him_ of all people?!

"I can pretend that I saw nothing," Bickslow's tongue now hung out, his babies flying around him shouting 'Nothing! Nothing!'. "But-" He flinched for a moment when she started growling again. "I get to keep the necklace."

Leora paused for a moment, contemplating her options. She stared at him with wary eyes.

"Oi-Oi, I'm not going to ask for anything...inappropriate alright," Bickslow defended, his hands coming up.

"What do you want?" Leora asked slowly. She furrowed her brows when she thought she saw him blush.

"Well…" Bickslow said, his eyes staring towards the floor. "I need a favour. I want you to work your magic for me."

"My…magic?" Leora asked, her eyes widening as she took a tiny step back. What would Bickslow want her magic for?! She didn't even know he knew about-

Bickslow coughed lightly, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Ya…like what you did with Levy and Gajeel…"

"Oh." Leora exhaled, before she broke out into a sly grin. "That magic. With Can-" She couldn't finish her sentence since Bickslow covered her mouth with his hand.

"Shhhhh," Bickslow stressed, his face glancing around even though they were currently hidden inside a dark alley. "You never know if she's hearing."

Leora chuckled as she stepped back. "Alright. I'll accept your terms."

"Really?" Bickslow's face lit up. He didn't think she'd agree so easily like that.

"Really."

"Alright! Then I won't tell anyone how you two were tongue wrestling-AH!" The smell of burnt hair now filled the air.

Bickslow ran off before he was murdered by a very embarrassed dragoness.

* * *

"How much did you see?" Laxus asked, later that evening as he sipped on a mug of beer. The guild was pretty sparse by then, the majority of its members already out doing final preparations to the floats for the Fantasia parade.

Bickslow grinned, his tongue hanging out as he dangled his spoils in front of his face. The necklace was gaudy, but it was definitely worth it "I'm sworn to secrecy on that matter." His trip to the guild after his conversation with the dragoness was quite smooth, with the guild members blocking his way being 'accidently' electrocuted. It was a straight victory for him.

"So…it actually happened then," Laxus stated, more to himself than to his friend. He just wanted to make sure that he wasn't really hallucinating.

Bickslow's laughter was hysterical. "I cannot confirm nor deny that statement."

"…"

"What did you ask for?" Laxus asked, remembering that Bickslow had won.

"It's a secret," Bickslow said quietly.

Laxus growled as he stared across the table at his teammate.

"C-Calm down boss." Bickslow placed his hands up for defense. "It ain't anything inappropriate, jeez."

"It better not be…" Laxus grumbled into his mug.

Bickslow laughed before finishing the last of his beer. He stood up. "You're not coming?" The parade was about to start.

"…No." Even though Leora had helped him see that his guild mates had indeed forgiven him and helped plan out this entire day for him and his Raijinshuu, it still didn't feel quite right to go. That and he wasn't sure that he wanted to see her yet.

"Suit yourself."

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Leora asked hesitantly as she stared at the enormously extravagant throne at the top of an already extravagant float.

Makarov smiled as he stood next to it. "Of course."

"But you're the Master," Leora said. "Shouldn't this be for you?" Minutes before the Fantasia parade was about to start, the Master called her out and dragged her all the way to the largest float in the line-up, where the large throne sat. It was decorated with ridiculous jewels and accessories, making it a very obnoxious chair and very…Fairy Tail like.

"Nonsense!" Makarov exclaimed. "It's meant for Fairy Tail's very first member." He gestured for her to sit on the throne. It was the best seat in the house, allowing for an excellent view of all the floats and the fireworks that would come at the end of the night. "You did a good thing today Leora."

"I don't think it worked," Leora said, her lips pursing in frustration. The dragon slayer sure didn't seem convinced. He was nowhere in sight. Though it wasn't like she wanted to see him or anything. Especially not after what happened today…

Makarov gave her a gentle smile. "I'm sure you reached their hearts. Now no more brooding! The parade is starting!"

And with that the floats began to move, one by one, starting from the entrance of the guild, before snaking around the main streets of Magnolia. The citizens of the town and those of neighbouring towns all came out to watch, their eyes wide with amazement as the floats started to drift by. Each one housed Fairy Tail's very own mages, performing magical shows of wonder.

There were breaths of flame and sparkles of ice meshing with beautiful sprouts of water and amazing displays of strength. Confetti flew in the air while the crowd cheered on act after act as they passed by. Lucy's celestial spirits came out to play while Erza's swords went on fabulous display. Even the Raijinshuu had their very own float, with Evergreen wowing the crowd with her Fairy magic, Bickslow playing around with his babies and Freed showing off his runes.

Leora could do nothing but sit there on the high throne, staring at the floats with a childish awe. She's never seen anything quite like this before, not even in her many years of travel. Everyone was so lively and cheerful and happy. It was so…

"Beautiful right?"

Leora turned to her side in surprise when she heard that soft gentle voice. She gave her old friend a wide smile. "Mavis."

The pale blonde woman returned her gesture, her eyes glimmering with happiness. In all her long years with the dragoness, she had never quite seen her this at peace before. It filled her heart with warmth knowing that she had found a place in her guild. Their guild.

Leora opened her arms to the woman, gesturing towards her lap. The childlike woman gave her a bright grin before climbing on. Even though Leora couldn't feel the woman, she wrapped her arms around her from behind and started to channel her lightning into her arms.

Mavis' eyes widened slightly.

"Can you feel it?" Leora smiled softly, though Mavis wouldn't be able to see it.

Mavis nodded with a tearful sigh. "Yes." It was warm.

The pair sat there together, like long time friends gazing at the wonders in front of them. They watched as Natsu almost set fire to his very own float, until Lucy had to bring out Aquarius and brought even more damage instead. They saw as Juvia clung onto Gray in their ice and water wonderland, while Gray half heartedly pushed her away, but kept a gentle smile on his face. They laughed as they watched the Sixth Master - dancing one tier below them on the float - making a fool of himself, but not giving a care in the world.

"What a lovely guild we have…no?" Mavis sighed as she leaned back against the dragoness.

Leora let out a relaxed smile. "Yes. Yes, we do." She gasped when the first of many fireworks began to light up the sky, filling the darkness of the night with bright bursts of colours. They came one after the other, in quick succession, bringing the entire crowd to awe.

…So he had caved.

Laxus was currently standing in an alleyway facing the main street after finally deciding to leave the guild to watch. He was planning on only seeing the parade as it passed by, but his eyes seemed to be focused on only one thing. She sat atop the highest throne on his grandfather's float, with the First Master in her lap and her arms wrapped around the petite woman. Her golden hair, decorated with wayward confetti, framed her face and over her shoulders, entangling with the paler blonde of the First Master's. His heart skipped a beat when he saw not the atrocious ruby necklace around her neck, but the simple amber one that he had given her. But even that wasn't the thing that mesmerized him. It was the shining glimmer within her golden eyes and the bright, gentle smile that adorned her face. She looked so peacefully happy in that very moment. So at awe at the fireworks that exploded all around them, lighting the sky in a way that the stars couldn't. He wanted to go up to her, to share this moment with her, but he knew that right now, her heart was with the First Master. This night was for them and them alone. A night for pure friendship and he would never ruin that. So he only stood there and observed.

The two blondes on the float watched for what seemed like a lifetime before Leora addressed the woman in her lap, her arms tightening around her.

"Thank you for bringing me here," Leora whispered, her voice heavy with unspoken emotion, as she glanced down at the petite woman. "To Fairy Tail."

Mavis grinned, receiving those emotions, as she looked up at the sky as another firework burst. "You're welcome."

Leora couldn't express into words how thankful she was that Mavis had brought her here. From the very beginning when she first joined the fateful guild, to the day she was brought back by _him_. It was a long and arduous journey, but she never regretted a moment of it. And now it seemed like a dream, being here, celebrating like this with the guild. With her…family.

And what a wonderful dream it was.

Leora couldn't express into words how thankful she was that Mavis had brought her here.

So she decided she'd do it with actions.

"Since the very beginning…" Leora waited until she regained the attention of the First Master, evident by the way her wing-like adornments perked up. "…you've always wanted to see fairies."

Lightning started to spark around the dragoness. Her voice was soft and gentle; her words only meant for Mavis. "I don't know if they have tails…but I do know that they exist. Right in front of us."

Mavis was about to turn towards the dragoness in confusion, but stopped when she started to see what was unfolding in front of her eyes. She gasped, her hands coming up to her cover mouth.

Lucy was still trying to deal with her water logged float when she suddenly felt as if the ground was starting to lift away from her. "W-What?! What is happening?" She wasn't hallucinating. She was starting to rise into the sky…

Lucy looked around in panic, when suddenly Natsu shouted.

"Lucy!...Y-You have wings!"

"H-Haaa?" Lucy whipped her head around to see the most beautiful pair of fairy wings, shaped like a butterfly's protruding out of her back. It was made out of…lightning. Before she could figure out why it was happening, she noticed something magical.

One by one, each of Fairy Tail's mages started lifting into the sky by the very same wings.

They were flying.

Lucy laughed and giggled with the others as she flew around the floats on her new wings, the fireworks never stopping. She didn't know how it all worked, but she knew the one responsible for this. She turned to thank the dragoness, but smiled as she saw that her attention was only on the First Master in front of her, waiting for her reaction.

Even Natsu had a set of wings of his own, but he was a little dissatisfied. "Fairy wings?! B-But that's not as cool! It would be so much more awesome if I got dragon wings!"

"Y-Yeah…" Gajeel grumbled, having heard Natsu's tiny complaint. It wasn't helping that Levy was currently teasing him about it. Though he smiled as he watched his little mate flying around with her own set of wings. She looked pretty damn cute with them.

Leora laughed as she heard the dragon slayers. She snapped her fingers.

"W-Woah! Now that's more like it!" Natsu shouted with glee when his turned into dragon wings. He engaged in a mock aerial battle with Gajeel, who had also gained the wings of a dragon. Even Wendy got a pair. They flew around along with all the other Fairy Tail mages, bringing out more cheers from the crowd on the sidelines. It was quite the spectacle.

Leora smiled as she heard all the carefree laughter and giggles from the guild. Though she did pause at the slight sniffling from her lap.

"Fairies…" Mavis sniffed as tears stared to glaze over her bright green eyes. Even though she knew that they weren't real, the ones right in front of her, right now, were…perfect. Her hands came up to wipe away any stray tears.

Her fairies. Her guild.

"Hey…" Leora looked down at her sniffling friend. "No crying."

Mavis twisted around so she was facing the dragoness. She gave her the widest grin that Leora had ever seen. "Mmm!"

As the pair watched the fairies soaring through the night sky with carefree abandon, Leora noticed something. "There's someone missing…"

Laxus was watching his guild mates flying around ridiculously in the sky when suddenly he felt himself being lifted as well. "O-Oi. Not me too." But it was too late, and he couldn't control it when he gained his own set of lightning wings and started flying out of the alley towards his grandfather's float.

"Oh there you are my boy!" Makarov beamed as he watched his grandson tumbling clumsily towards them through the air. Laxus was ambushed by the Raijinshuu before he made it to the Master. They were ecstatic that he had finally joined them on their float, which was – of course – lightning themed. He thought about making his way up to where his grandfather was, but he just couldn't leave his team, who, for the first time this entire week, were smiling brightly.

And it was contagious.

He looked up towards the dragoness and saw her pleased expression. He gave her a slight smile before turning back towards his team, who were still fussing over him.

Maybe he could finally enjoy Fantasia…

Makarov glanced down at his grandson and the Raijinshuu with a wide grin. It seemed as though the dragoness had cured them once and for all.

Mavis didn't know how long they had been watching, but at this moment she was truly at peace. The fireworks in the sky erupted like blooming flowers which only highlighted the beautiful sparks that came off from each and every fairy's wings as they flew around in pure delight. The petite woman turned towards the dragoness and gave her the tightest hug, snuggling right into her, trying to bury away her tears of happiness.

Her voice was light, and airy; her words only meant for the one right in front of her.

"I love you."

Leora couldn't feel her physically, but she _felt_ it. The gentle warmth spread from her heart to her very limbs.

"I know," Leora whispered as her arms wrapped around and one hand reached up to pat the women's wavy blonde hair. She couldn't voice that one word aloud, for it was too dangerous for her to feel that sort of emotion.

But deep inside she knew that she loved the woman in her arms.

"An eternal mystery," Leora said softly as another firework shot straight up into the night.

"An eternal adventure," Mavis continued, turning back around. Another firework burst onto the scene.

They both looked up to the sky to face the very last firework as it exploded in the sky in a myriad of colours, giant letters spelling the words-

 _Fairy Tail._

* * *

It was late into the night by the time dragon and knight returned to their home on the edge of town. No words were exchanged as they walked into the house, only the sounds of their footsteps could be heard as they headed towards their own rooms. Leora was about to enter hers when her wrist was suddenly caught. She turned to face the dragon slayer, his eyes blazing with unspoken emotions.

"You're…amazing."

Leora laughed softly and her lips curled with a slight hint of smugness as she leaned against her door frame. "You just figured this out now?"

Laxus chuckled, the sound deep and warm. "No." He knew that from the very beginning. He wanted to say more to her, about what had happened earlier this afternoon, but he held back, opting onto to gaze into her golden eyes before he smiled. He let go of her wrist. "Good night Sunshine."

She returned his smile. "Good night, Laxus."

They both retired to their own separate rooms. But as Laxus lay there on his bed, replaying the events of the entire day, he didn't know what to think anymore. Seeing her today, what she did for him and the Raijinshuu, what she did for Mavis, he found himself returning to the same thought.

She truly was amazing.

But her heart, at the moment, was focused purely on the friendships she's made in the guild. Including hers with him. Should he really shatter that for the sake of his own wants?

He didn't know anymore.

* * *

 _ **A/N: The Fantasia scene was something I had long envisioned and was really happy to be able to finally write it out into words. Though I'm not really sure if I was able to capture the true magic of the moment properly as I had pictured it in my mind. I knew from the beginning that I wanted this scene to be for Leora and Mavis and their magical, time-tested friendship. Was it weird that I was affected by the feels from my own writing? Lol. I read the scene again while listening to the Fairy Tail theme song (slow piano version) and oh my, you should try it. This scene was definitely my favourite of the story so far. Let me know what you think!**_

 _ **Just as a note, updates may be a little more random in these next two months as I'll be studying for a designation exam. But I'll try my best!**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	26. Arc III-26: The right dose of jealousy

**Chapter 26**

Laxus was…frustrated, on more levels than one. By now it was a painful mixture of both emotional and sexual frustration. As much as he had tried to get the image of her out of his head, his dreams each night would come back and torment him with surprising detail. The feel of her skin, the brush of her hair, the touch of her lips. The sharp gaze of her dark golden eyes haunted even his waking moments. It took everything he had to stop himself from grabbing the dragoness and simply having his way with her in a guild closet. But he knew if he did that, he'd probably never live to see another day. So he kept it bottled in, and now he had finally reached his limit.

He stared up at the one place he was most definitely not allowed to enter and yet in a flash of lightning he was inside. She looked up at him, her brown hair cascading over her shoulders as she turned to face him with her brow raised. He hadn't been here in a while. Months even. She stared at him hesitantly for a moment, before sighing and giving in, beckoning him over as she put down a bottle of wine on her night stand.

This was their unspoken arrangement. It was just physical, _absolutely_ nothing more than that.

* * *

"Are you sure about this? She's late."

"Stop fussing. You'll be fine."

"Are you _sure_?"

"…Where did the confident, doesn't care what other people think of him, Bickslow go?"

"He jumped out the window along with his nerves."

"Well go _find_ it."

"I can't believe your only advice was to ask her. I expected a little more from your favour."

"…She said yes didn't she?"

"…Yes."

"Then it worked."

"…Yes."

"Now stay here. I'll go get her."

"Aright…Leora?"

" _Now_ what?"

"…Thanks."

"...Thank me when it actually works out."

* * *

Leora stared up at the large two-winged building as she read the sign. _Fairy Hills_. From what she remembered the card mage lived in this dorm along with many of the other females from Fairy Tail. She once made a small comment as to why she never moved into this place, seeing as she was also female and it seemed to be quite customary, Lucy aside. But that comment was quickly shot down by the dragon slayer as being ridiculous. 'You'd only bother the other residents,' he had said.

Speaking of Laxus, he seemed to be absent for the better part of the evening, though there was no time...or particular reason for her to care. She had spent the remainder of the week and the Harvest festival thinking of ways to fulfill her promise to Bickslow in exchange for winning the second Battle of Fairy Tail. When she had heard that the week was to end in a grand traditional festival, she smirked, finding her point of entrance. Or, more accurately, Bickslow's point of entrance. The first step was already complete, which involved the suddenly out of character and annoyingly shy mage asking the brunette to accompany him to the festival. To which she agreed. Now all it took was for her to find the woman and escort her back to the fidgeting seith mage before she becomes so annoyed that she fries his brains out.

Stepping into the foyer of the dorm, Leora took a quick look around before she started following Cana's scent. While she walked, she ran over her plans inside her head, which included keeping an eye on the pair for any developments. Dealing with regular humans sure was tougher than getting Gajeel to deal with his problems. They didn't exactly have instincts to spur them on.

Lost in thought once she reached Cana's room, she didn't catch the scents that drifted out from underneath the door, nor did she hear the sounds from behind it…

* * *

"…Got a problem there?" Cana teased, gesturing to Laxus' erection, or lack thereof.

"Shut up," Laxus grunted, from his position above her. "Give me a moment." He tried to get rid of the dark feeling of guilt that wallowed in his gut. Hell, he shouldn't even be feeling guilty. It wasn't as if he and Leora had anything going on. He had no obligation to her, and she made it quite clear with him that she wasn't interested either. But despite that, images of her face, riddled with displeasure kept popping up inside his mind, effectively preventing any sort of erection from occurring.

"We've been at this for an hour. I don't think its happening."

"Damn it!" Laxus shouted in frustration.

Cana sighed, leaning back casually on her hands as she sat on her bed, not caring that her chest was currently exposed to the man in front of her. It wasn't as if they'd never done this before. Though something was itching at the back of her mind, as if she was currently forgetting about something. "So now what? You obviously can't get over her."

"I said shut up." Laxus groaned, running a hand through his hair. He didn't know. So flustered and utterly frustrated, he didn't even register the sound of gentle footsteps approaching the room. Nor did he notice the distinct scent of lightning seeping in from underneath.

A slight click had both heads turning, eyes widened in shock. No one was supposed to be here. They were supposed to all be out…

"Shit," Cana exhaled. She finally remembered what was important.

Despite the door having been locked, it opened with ease for the dragoness, who was not paying attention to her strength as she pushed it open. She looked up just as the room revealed itself to her, her eyes landing on a scene she hadn't expected. Before she could stop it, she felt a sharp squeeze in her heart. But she willed away the feeling as soon as it happened.

The silence was deadly.

Laxus had imagined a dozen faces that he thought she'd make, but this was none of them. This was worse. Cold, stoic and expressionless. Her eyes landed on him for only a fraction of a second before they darted towards the brunette he was currently hovering over. At least she got a disapproving glare from the dragoness.

Leora frowned as her eyes landed on the card mage, naked on the bed. "Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" She gave her one last passing glance before she turned on her heels and walked out, closing the door quietly behind her. Her appearance was so short it was as if she had never entered in the first place.

Cana immediately collapsed back onto the bed while Laxus rolled off of the brunette next to her before pinching the bridge of his nose. The two merely stared at the ceiling for a minute until they shared the same thought.

"Shit."

* * *

Leora wasted no time in returning to the seith mage who she knew was still waiting by the guild. As she made her way back, her thoughts were racing at a mile a minute. Did she make a mistake in thinking that the brunette was interested as well? From her observations whenever she sat at the guild, she did notice the woman sending occasional gazes at Bickslow. Was she wrong?

Those were the only thoughts she allowed herself to think. She didn't think about the man she was with. Nor did she think about the fact that he was completely naked and hovering over her. She clenched her fists. She had forgotten how…fickle humans were. So all that before…was that all a game to him?!

…Why the hell did she even care to begin with?!

She was fuming by the time she arrived at the guild, though her mood immediately cooled as soon as she saw Bickslow's look of disappointment. He stood there in a simple navy blue yukata, which was similar to what all the others attending the festival would be wearing.

"Couldn't find her?"

Leora couldn't even look him in the eye. She had failed. "Umm…" How was she supposed to tell the man that the girl he fancies was in bed with another?

Bickslow could tell exactly what had happened from the moment he saw her face. He should've known honestly. _They_ weren't in the guild since the early evening. Besides, it wasn't their first time.

"I-It's alright," Bickslow said, trying to hide anymore of his disappointment from seeping through. Taking a small glance at the blonde in front of him, he thought he caught a slight aura of darkness radiating from her. "Are you okay?"

She shot him a dark look, her voice as cold as ice. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Bickslow gulped. She was definitely angry. His eyes drifted between the two of them and inwardly sighed. Standing here like this was quite…depressing. "Never mind then. You know what, I'm just going to head home-"

"Why?" Leora asked him, cutting him off. "You wanted to go."

Bickslow chuckled painfully. "Well I'm not exactly going to go alone…"

"Who says you have to?" Leora pointed out. She took a large breath in before exhaling out all her anger all at once. "Alright. Let's go!"

"W-What?" Bickslow blurted.

"Come on," Leora insisted, starting to walk towards the main street where the booths of the festival would be set up. She passed by a couple of them earlier and was actually genuinely interested in checking them out. She took a quick look at her own outfit. "Oh wait." A small cloud of sparks later and her usually clothing was replaced by a flora yukata of her own.

Bickslow gulped. He knew he really shouldn't be thinking these thoughts, since he was technically supposed to be infatuated with someone else, and this was definitely his boss' girl, but damn…she was hot. The black cloth was adorned with crimson red flowers that contrasted with the bright blonde of her hair, which was now pinned up in a loose bun. It was definitely too short to be appropriate, but knowing the dragoness, she wouldn't care what other people would say. And seeing the cleavage she decided to show, there was a great chance…that she wasn't wearing…anything…underneath.

Her sharp golden eyes stared up at him impatiently. "Hurry up!"

"H-Hai," Bickslow replied, following her like a lost puppy. It wasn't long before they reached the main street lined with bright lanterns and various booths. He was tense for most of the walk there, since she ended up stealing his mask again and threw it into some bushes after she commented on how ugly it was. He was self conscious the entire time, but as soon as he saw her face light up like a child's when she walked into the festival, he couldn't help but laugh, easing his nervousness. They walked around the market, checking out the booths and grabbing food. Thankfully she finally learned to eat things by herself. That would've been embarrassing had she not.

And after an hour, Bickslow actually found himself having…fun. It was strangely relaxing strolling around with the dragoness, knowing that there was nothing to expect from her. To them was simply a night between friends. It was actually quite nice.

They were passing by a couple of booths filled with hair ornaments when she spoke. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."

Bickslow snorted. "It's alright. It's not your fault anyways."

She examined a violet coloured hair piece before placing it back down. "Well, regardless, I'll just owe you another favour."

Bickslow laughed. "I'll be sure to take you up on that then."

* * *

"Why are we here again?"

"Because we are," Laxus grunted as he hid in the shadows of a small side street, staring at a certain pair currently walking through the markets looking oddly like a couple. He wasn't even in the mood to appreciate what Leora was wearing. "Don't tell me you aren't curious."

"Well can't say that I'm not," Cana replied. "Not everyday that those two hang out on their own."

"Exactly," Laxus said, glaring daggers into Bickslow's unsuspecting back. What the hell was he doing here with her?

Cana snorted, lifting the bottle of alcohol that she swiped from an unsuspecting vendor to her lips. "Jealous much?"

"Shut up," Laxus grumbled, but not denying her claim. "Besides, don't tell me you don't feel anything right now."

"Honestly, I don't know what to think," Cana said. It wasn't like her and Bickslow had anything going on. She did admit she was slightly interested in the mage and kept a small eye on him every now and then. She was genuinely interested in coming tonight, she just…'forgot'. Though seeing him at the festival with Leora was slightly…unsettling.

Laxus' eyes narrowed when he saw the pair laugh. He panicked when they started moving farther away. "Hurry up, we're going to lose them."

"Hai, Hai…"

Leora's nose scrunched in displeasure when she surprisingly caught two familiar scents amongst those at the festival. Bickslow turned to her with an inquisitive look. "What is it?"

Leora shook her head. "It's nothing." She pulled at his sleeve. "Let's go that way."

Bickslow gave her a confused look, but yielded. "Alright."

Laxus spent the next hour grumbling as Cana and him attempted to follow the pair, except it was increasingly harder to catch up without getting caught. Near the end of the hour, they suddenly disappeared inside the crowds.

"Where did they go?" Cana asked beside him.

Laxus growled in frustration. "No idea."

Cana punched in the arm lightly, making him turn towards her. "Well we aren't going to find them if you keep standing here sulking like that." She started to head towards the crowd. "Come on!"

* * *

Eventually, Leora and Bickslow found themselves heading across the arched bridge that led them back towards the direction of their homes. Leora was casually walking in front, trying to catch the seith mage's flying totems as they circled above her. Bickslow watched the blonde with a gentle smile. It was quite unusual to see his babies being so friendly with others, unless they trusted them, which made him smile. It had been a long couple of months now that he thought about it, from the day she barged into their guild to the day she had saved them, on multiple occasions. She had integrated herself into their lives so seamlessly that none of them could imagine their group without her. There was no questioning Leora's acceptance into their little family.

Bickslow had been so absorbed into his thoughts that he didn't notice the dragoness leaning over the railing of the bridge, trying to catch one of the hovering totems, until she was practically falling off. Panicking, he quickly reached forward, wrapping his arms around her waist to stop her from falling into the canal below.

"What are you doing?" Leora asked, as she looked over her shoulder at him.

Bickslow looked up only to have his vision blocked by two large wings. Oh. Right. She could fly. "U-Uh sorry, thought you were going to fall." He quickly removed his arms and watched as she twisted around so that she sat on the railing itself, facing him. Her wings disappeared soon after. For a moment, he was mesmerized by the image before him. Her skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, which contrasted against the harsh black and red kimono she wore. Her hair was still tied up, but stray strands of long hair had fallen in front, loosely framing her face. This harsh contrast of black and gold immediately reminded him of another image he had seen, a long time ago. He still remembered it clear as day, since it was a constant reminder of how he had lost control of his powers again. And for that small moment, he caught a glimpse of…her soul. He was frightened by what he saw at the time, and now…he wanted to make sure that he hadn't hallucinated.

Leora's eyes widened when she _felt_ him staring. She knew it wasn't the first time, and the last time this had happened she had immediately shut herself off from his gaze. But there was no point hiding what he had already seen, so this time she sat quietly with a solemn look on her face as he looked, waiting for his reaction.

Bickslow was first bombarded by a gold light, as bright as the stars, but as warm as the sun.

"It's beautiful." He blurted out. Beautiful was the only word he could come up with to describe her soul, but-

Leora snorted as she stared up at the stars, her hands gripping the railing just a little harder. "You know that's not true. I know you can see it."

Bickslow's eyes were downcasted and he was unsure of what to say next.

"You have something you want to ask me," Leora said, her voice softening.

Bickslow looked back up at her. He whispered softly. "How are you still alive?"

Leora smiled, but he could see the small hints of pain behind it. "Dragons are…stubborn creatures." She let out a heavy sigh as she looked down at the man. "Keep this from him alright?" They both knew who she was talking about.

"Y-Ya." Bickslow's eyes were heavy with emotion as he stared at the dragoness, his respect for her building with every word she speaks and every action she takes.

"Well!" Leora stretched her arms above her as her legs swung out in front of her. "This was a fun evening!" She tried to lighten up the mood.

Bickslow chuckled, but you could tell there was a hint of sadness within it. "You can say that."

Leora raised a brow as she caught what she thought was the seith mage's look of disappointment. "Are you still upset about _that_? Don't worry I'll figure things out."

Bickslow wasn't exactly sad about the situation with Cana anymore, though it still had an impact. He wasn't paying attention, so he vaguely registered her next words.

"…here how about this…"

His brain was still mulling over the conversation he just had with her-

"Mmphffff!" Bickslow swore his eyes went as wide as pancakes when his face met with two firm pillows of womanly delight. What is she doing?! He tried to move back, but her hand was holding the back of his head firmly against her breasts. His previous prediction that she was wearing nothing underneath her yukata? He now knew the answer. "What are you doing?!" But his words were muffled.

Leora spoke as if there was currently nothing wrong with their respective positions. "Well, I still don't get the appeal, but apparently human men have a strange fascinations for these. Does this make you less upset now?" She looked down at the head of blue hair currently in between her breasts.

Less upset?! Honestly, Bickslow could live forever like this, surrounded by these angelic pillows, but god he knew that Laxus was going to gut him alive if he ever found out.

Leora's brow raised ever so slightly as her nose twitched. "Besides…sometimes a little dose of jealousy goes a long way."

Bickslow didn't know what she meant by that until he felt himself being forcefully pulled backwards by his collar and then immediately being punched in the face. The impact was so hard that he flew a couple of feet, landing on the bridge on his back. The stars above him magically flew around his head in circles. He looked up to see Laxus standing right where he was before, hand curled into a tight fist and lightning sparking around his body. Boy did he look angry. He flinched when Laxus' hand pulled back, but thankfully someone grabbed hold of his wrist.

"Laxus!" Cana shouted as she stopped the man from surging forward. "What the hell was that for?!" She struggled against the mage's strength until Laxus finally gave up, shaking her hand off of his wrist in frustration. Laxus immediately walked over to the dragoness and threw her roughly over his shoulder. It was a surprise that she didn't protest.

Cana immediately ran towards the seith mage on the ground, lifting his head into her lap. "Bickslow? Are you alright?" Seeing what she saw just now gave her an odd feeling in her gut, but right now the man probably needed medical attention, at least for his heavily bleeding nose. Pulling a tissue out of her purse, she used it to stop his bleeding as she pinched the bridge of his nose.

All Bickslow could see as he was lifted was a swirl of brown. "Am I dead? Are you an angel?"

"Oh shut up," Cana retorted, though she couldn't hold back a tiny smile. "That was the cheesiest line I've ever heard."

Bickslow grinned like an idiot as Cana tended to his injuries. He looked forward for just a moment and watched as Laxus hastily walked away with Leora over his shoulder. He thought he was hallucinating, but for a second, he saw the dragoness lift herself up, her eyes locking with his before she sent him a small wink.

Hell. That girl was incredible.

* * *

Laxus was being strangely silent on the way home, Leora noticed. She had thought he would put her down after a couple of minutes, but he didn't, and now being carried like a sack of potatoes was annoying her.

"Let me down," Leora demanded.

Silence.

Leora growled into his shirt in annoyance. "Put me down." Again she received no response except for the tightening of his arm around her body. She started to struggle.

"Stop." Laxus' voice was deep and absolute. Much to her surprise, she found herself submitting to the demand, though she did growl her displeasure.

It wasn't long before they reached their house and as soon as they got through the front entryway, Laxus slammed the door behind them, dropping Leora to her feet. Before Leora could even think about moving, Laxus had her back pinned against the door.

Leora snarled as she stared up at him, her instincts rising to attention. "What are you doing?"

Laxus tried hard to stay calm, but it wasn't exactly his forte. "I thought you didn't do humans."

"I don't," Leora replied, trying to figure out what was going on. He had caged her in with his body, and now his scent was starting to bombard her senses.

"Then what the hell was that?" Laxus growled low. He had been looking for her for so long before he finally caught her scent again. They had just walked out towards the bridge when he had caught sight of her and _him._ Both he and his inner dragon seethed until something inside of him had snapped. The next thing he knew he had already punched the living daylights out of his friend.

Leora's eyes widened in realization. "That was nothing-" She flinched when he slammed a fist into the door, shaking the frame. She berated herself for being stunned in the first place. She shouldn't be afraid of him.

Laxus snarled before lowering his face down towards the top of her breasts, which had been exposed even more due to the shifting of her yukata while he carried her. His growls grew in volume when he caught another man's scent on his body, the inner dragon inside him roaring in anger. He was going to fix that.

Leora gasped when Laxus gave the valley of her breasts a long lick, sending a jolt of electricity down her spine. Her back pressed further into the wood behind her, but she couldn't get very far. "W-What are you-"

"This is nothing right?" Laxus asked, sarcastically as he continued to kiss and nip at her breasts in order to replace Bickslow's scent with his.

Laxus' actions were resurfacing memories of the dreams Leora had worked so hard to forget, which only seemed to fuel…her anger. A huge wave of electrical discharge burst out from the dragoness, enough to shock Laxus off of her for just enough time for her to reverse their positions. A clawed hand slammed Laxus back into the door as she growled at him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Leora growled low, the sparks growing around her body as her breathing picked up. "You're crazy if you think that _its_ going to happen again." Her eyes darkened, her gaze challenging his.

Laxus could sense her anger, but instead of feeling fear he was glad. Glad because he was finally getting a reaction from the dragoness. One that implied that she remembered and acknowledged the interactions they had had instead of pretending they didn't exist. Glad that she was getting angry because it allowed him to be angry in return.

"Need I remind you again that you were the one who started this?" Laxus snarled down at her.

"That was-"

"That was what?" Laxus' voice was rising in volume. "A game? I don't enjoy being toyed with."

"So you decided to toy with me in return?!" Leora shouted, her claws lightly digging into Laxus' chest, causing a light flinch from the man. How could he do that to her?! More importantly, why the hell did she respond?!

"Don't deny that you enjoyed it," Laxus said, his voice growing rough. He grabbed hold of her wrist and with speed that matched hers, he flipped them around, pinning her wrist above her head. She snarled and tried to push him off with her free hand, but he was too quick, grabbing that one as well so that it joined the first. He held onto both wrists with one hand while his other started trailing up her body.

Leora tried to hold back the shiver, but Laxus caught it. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, grinning when he caught hints of her arousal. "Don't deny it Sunshine. Even with the Bond closed I can tell that you're feeling it right now." His inner dragon clawed at its cage, begging to come out.

Leora growled. This was getting dangerous. She needed to get him off of her by any means necessary. "As if I would enjoy the touch of a human."

The apparent disgust in her words had him seething in anger. Laxus hissed, his control finally snapping. "Then I'll show you the touch of dragon." With a roar, the dragon inside of him was released and he allowed it to take the reins. The surge of power he felt was immediate, enhancing his senses which only made her scent more intoxicating. He wanted her. Now.

Leora's eyes widened as she watched his change. His stormy blue eyes had darkened two shades, while his fangs grew sharper and more pronounced. She felt the prick of a sharpening claw against her waist where his hand gripped. This was not good. She gritted her teeth as she tried to keep her own instincts at bay as they too wished to be free. It was responding to the release of his dragon and it wanted to come out and play.

"Mine," He growled low into her ear, his inner dragon speaking for him.

Leora shivered, feeling each chain holding down her instincts breaking with each reverberation of his growl. His demand begged for submission and she was so close to granting it to him it was painful. Her body was starting to react to his close proximity, and she could feel the heat starting to pooling low in her stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to take his sharp gaze any longer, but they shot back open the moment his teeth sank into her breast, right on top of where her mark was. And with that, the last of the chains were broken, and her instincts broke through its cage with a roar of its own. But this time, instead of her consciousness falling to sleep, it merely took a step back, meaning she was still _very_ aware of what was happening.

His lips curled upwards in a wolfish grin as if he was able to sense her change. Releasing his fangs from her breast, he burst upwards to catch her lips in a bruising kiss. There was nothing gentle about it, instead it felt like rough animalistic desire.

She had no choice but to allow his entrance when he bit hard into her lip, and when his tongue entered her mouth, she caught a mixture of his husky taste mixed with the tangy flavour of her own blood. Their tongues immediately fought for dominance as they entangled in a heated mess, but she soon lost the battle, submitting entirely to his touch. She moaned into his mouth as she felt another wave of heat spread through her before settling down south.

His growl hinted that he was pleased with her submission. His free hand tore straight through her clothing, exposing her body to his blazing touch. He gripped hard at one of her breasts, his claws prickling skin, eliciting another moan from her as she remained pinned between him and the door. The sound was swallowed up by him. He released her lips, smirking as his gaze lingered around her throbbing lips. It then travelled lazily down her body, settling on her chest, which was heaving up and down from her heavy breaths. His eyes narrowed and his nose twitched in displeasure before his mouth descended upon her neglected breast, sucking hard on its nipple before sinking his teeth in there as well, causing her to yelp. She moaned when he licked at the wounds he caused. His tongue lapped every inch of her breasts, as if trying to cleanse her.

The mixture of pain and pleasure was driving her insane. Her blood was pumping twice as fast as normal, driving the molten heat straight down to her core. Pleasure ran along her spine with each caress of his tongue, clouding her thoughts. Her tail had emerged and was thumping against the door. He didn't stop at her breasts, instead he continued down her torso, stopping occasionally to sink his teeth into her flesh, sending flashes of pain through her body before the soothing touch of his tongue numbed her skin. The lower he went, the faster her heartbeat became. Suddenly, with no prior warning, two fingers slammed into her, causing her to cry out. Her body arched out from the door, but she couldn't get very far since one of his hands were still holding her wrists tight. Her tail had moved to wrap tightly round his forearm.

She struggled to keep her eyes open…

He let out a wolfish grin as his eyes he soaked in her reaction. He pulled his fingers out before ramming them back in at high speeds. Two soon became three and her loud growls of pleasure were like music to his ears. It didn't take long before he could feel her slick chamber clenching tightly around his fingers, which only spurred on his desire to take her then and there. He pressed his lips to hers just before she came, his mouth swallowing the sounds of her release. He pulled back to see her panting heavily, staring at him with heavy lidded eyes. He never would've been this rough with any other woman, but she was no woman. No this was pure, primal sex between dragons.

And he right now, he wanted more.

He moved his free hand towards his belt, hearing the sound of light clinking as he undid the buckle and started to remove his pants. That seemed to have triggered something within the dragoness since she began to struggle against his hold on her wrists, eyes wide open. But at the sound of his low warning growl, she stilled. Moments later, his dick was freed from the confines of his pants.

Both parties groaned as soon as the tip of his arousal brushed against core. He growled once more in warning, before removing his hand from her wrist. Obeying his silent command, she kept her hands above her head. Her eyes followed his every movement, watching as his hands spread her legs even further and lifted her hips. He let out a toothy smile when her legs automatically hooked around him.

Without warning, he slammed straight into her, her cries ringing throughout the house. Her head had fallen backwards against the door and her claws dug deep into its wood. He let out a low moan as her warm, wet sex clamped around him to the point that it was almost painful. This was unlike anything else he had felt before and he knew no one else would ever satisfy him like this again. He did not wait for her to adjust before he pulled back and rammed himself further into her. With each slam of his hips, her back banged against the door, but neither of them paid it any mind. He only focused on the pleasure, each moment building the pressure inside of him. He knew it was the same for her, as her moans grew in volume until one twist of his hips sent her over the edge with a loud growl.

The feeling of her tight, weeping sex gripping onto his cock had brought him over the ledge as well. He roared his release, wave after wave of pleasure crashing over his body. His head fell forward and onto her chest, trying to catch his breath, and he caught the spicy fragrance of her lightning fused scent.

He felt a thundering heartbeat, but he wasn't sure to whom it belonged to…

Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her body trembled with the aftershock of her second release. Her mind had only focused on how he filled her to the brim. She had forgotten how long it had been since she had had sex, but she never remembered it feeling like…this. Every movement, every slam of his hips had been pure, carnal pleasure. Each moment had twisted the coil inside of her until it snapped, sending her crashing violently over the cliff. She didn't know how much time had passed while they remained like this, her back against the door with her legs still wrapped around his torso. His head rested gently against her chest, while hers rested against the door. They didn't move from this position, but soon enough, his hot breaths against her sensitive skin started to arouse her once again. She didn't have anymore time to register what had truly happened, nor was she able to force her instincts back in, for she felt them responding once more when he hardened inside of her. At that moment, she knew the night would be long.

Their minds were foggy for the rest of the night, responding to every want and need of their bodies. There were no words exchanged, no affection felt, no romance ignited. It was simply pure, animalistic sex. Wild, unhinged and carnal. Claws dug into skin and teeth sunk into flesh. Growls and roars replaced soft moans and groans. There was no need to be gentle with one another, for each knew that the other could handle anything they dished out.

The rest of their night passed by in a pleasure induced haze…

* * *

Leora groaned when she woke to the light of the sun streaming in from the window. She shifted ever so slightly, but that small movement alerted her to a few things. One, she was currently resting on something that felt too hard to be her pillow. Two, her body was unbelievably sore. And three, there was something heavy wrapped around her waist. Her groggy mind took a couple more seconds before it recognized that this situation was not right. She jolted awake and her eyes were immediately met with the sight of a bare chest, noting its gentle rise and fall. Stiff as a board, she looked down and noticed that the weight around her waist belonged to an arm. Her own was wrapped around her false pillow and she immediately pulled it back as if it was burnt. Her head slowly shifted…

Her entire upper body sprang up from its position as soon as she caught sight of a lightning shaped scar and blonde hair. His arm fell from her waist, and he shifted slightly, but he did not wake.

Leora groaned inwardly. _What have I done?..._

 _When they finally reached his bedroom, he threw her straight onto the bed. Not giving her any time, he pulled her up onto her hands and knees before plunging himself back into her. She cried out as white hot bursts of pleasure filled her vision when he roughly slammed into her over and over again. His claws broke flesh as they dug deep into her hips, and she felt blood trailing down her thighs. By then, they were already covered by cuts and bruises from his previous explorations. Her tail had wrapped around his waist, as if it was making sure that he didn't leave her._

 _She found it difficult to remain on her hands and soon she collapsed, her face pressing into the pillow. The soft fabric muffled her cries as the position allowed for him to continuously strike that one spot deep inside her, the jolts of pure bliss travelling straight to her brain. Her body, having already been sensitized by their previous sexual acts, was made worse when he started to sink his teeth into the flesh of her back, most definitely leaving bloody marks in its wake. Each bite was synchronized with his thrusts, sending sparks of pain into her body which mixed with the erotic pleasure of his movements. It didn't take long for her to reach that state of euphoria once again. She barely recognized the sound of his roar over her own, nor did she feel the sinking of his teeth into the flesh of her neck as she came._

 _Her vision went black._

Leora's hand shot up to her neck, freezing when she felt the bite wound. She exhaled in great relief when she didn't feel his magic inside of it.

He didn't mark her.

Breathing heavily, both from her flashback and from her two second scare, Leora simply knelt there staring at the dragon slayer before once again realizing where she was. Immediately leaping off the bed, she barely took a step before she yelped, her legs having suddenly given way, causing her to fall to her knees on the ground next to the bed.

What was happening?!

Leora tried to move to her feet again, but her legs simply didn't have the strength, the rest of her body protesting as well. She groaned when she felt just how sore she was in a certain region of her lower body. She froze stiff when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and his head rest in the crook of her neck.

"Where do you think you're going Sunshine?" Laxus' voice was deep and throaty, a consequence of last night activities. He had woken up from her yelp and found the dragoness in a lovely heap on the floor. While he was slightly disappointed that she had tried to run, by now he was not surprised anymore. In fact, he was slightly…proud of the fact that he could make her weak in the knees.

Leora held back a shiver as his voice travelled straight down her spine. She refused to be charmed back into his game. "That's none of your business."

Laxus chuckled at her defiance before his tongue came out to give the pointed tip of her ear a slight flicker. He smirked when he heard her gasp. That place was one he had discovered last night, and it was found to be quite the sensitive spot for the dragoness. "I think you made it part of my business last night." The hand around her dipped down to gently grasp a breast before giving it a light squeeze, smiling when he caught the muffled moan. Seems like her entire body was still sensitive to his touch. "The best part is, you can't even say that you 'forgot' this time."

"S-Shut up," Leora breathed. "That was just one moment-"

"Oh I don't think it was just one moment Sunshine," Laxus cut her off with a smirk. "I believe we had a moment by the front door, one by the couch oh and don't forget the kitchen." He laughed lightly when he felt her stiffen even more. "Shall I refresh your memory?"

"Don't you dare-" Leora warned.

There was a panicked cry from outside their bedroom before footsteps headed towards Laxus' bedroom where they currently were. Laxus growled at the sound of an intruder, before Bickslow's voice drifted in. He immediately grabbed the blanket from the bed, and wrapped it around the naked dragoness still on her knees on the floor, not caring that he was now exposed.

"Laxus!"

* * *

Bickslow had quite the night. After Cana had taken care of his face, they decided to give the festival another try, seeing as they still had an hour left until it was over. It was sweet, fun and definitely felt different from when he and the dragoness had walked around. To make it better, the night may have ended with some in between the sheets fun. Which was why he had arrived at Laxus' house this morning, since he wanted to thank Leora for what she had done. But his first sign of worry was the fact that the front door was unlocked. As soon as he had walked through the door, he was greeted with the sight of destroyed furniture, broken glass, and overall utter chaos. Had someone come in and attacked?

Panicking, he immediately burst through the house, looking for its two residents.

"Laxus!"

His leader was not in the living room, which had overturned chairs, and what looked to be claw marks over the couch. Nor was he in the kitchen, where broken dishes littered the floor. He ran towards his leader's bedroom, seeing it thrown wide open.

And as soon as looked through Laxus' bedroom floor, his jaw dropped. There lying on his stomach, completely naked, with his arm wrapped around the dragoness and a blanket was Laxus. Completely unharmed-actually that was an incorrect statement. The dragoness was a different look all together. Shock and horror was evident in her eyes when she turned to look at him. Besides her face, her hair was all that he could see since the rest of her was covered by the blanket, but it was a complete mess.

A low threatening growl jolted Bickslow away from his thoughts. "Get. Out."

The seith mage didn't need to be told twice. "U-Umm right. I'll come back…eh hem, later." He quickly turned on his heels and ran back out of the house.

As soon as Bickslow ran out of the room and the sound of the front door slamming shut was heard, Leora hissed. "This is your fault." Words couldn't describe the horror she felt at being discovered like this.

"It takes two to tango Sunshine," Laxus pointed out. He hadn't moved from his position.

She needed to get out of here. But as soon as she attempted to move she froze. Something was trailing down her leg. She whimpered when she realized what it was and where it was coming from. Shaking, she threw his arm off of her and somehow found the strength to leap to her feet, before bolting straight towards the washroom, hearing him growl behind her.

"O-Oi!"

Leora threw the bathroom door opened...and screamed.

"What's wrong?!"

The sound of Laxus' voice reached her ears, but all she could do was stare at herself in the bathroom mirror, with eyes wide in horror.

"W-What did you do to me?!" Leora shrieked. There were bite and claw marks riddled all over her body. Even though none of the wounds were still open, streams of blood were caked near the entry points. Her hands traced over four marks over the front of her hips that were obviously left by claws. Her other hand traced over the teeth marks right above the lightning mark over her chest.

Laxus was left speechless. He was quite surprised that he had left marks as well. In all their previous encounters, she had woken up free of any blemishes or evidence of what had happened. It had been frustrating before, but this, this was slightly overkill. Though his inner dragon begged to differ. Instead, it purred in delight at the sight of his marks all over her body, marking her as his.

Leora suddenly realized their mutual state of undress and immediately turned around, before pushing Laxus away from her. He was too close. "Go away."

Laxus raised his brow as he leaned against the doorway with one arm by his head in all his naked glory. "I do believe that this is my place Sunshine."

Leora glared at the man, but in doing so, she finally got a good look at him. She gasped, her eyes trailing across the wounds on his body as well, particularly...

"I bit you…" One hand lifted unconsciously and settled on the teeth marks on his chest before tracing down towards the others, ignoring the slight shiver she caused. Her brain mulled over the fact that she had bitten the dragon slayer, multiple times in fact. She didn't know what it meant, but seeing her marks on his body sent unusual thoughts through her mind. Enough to cause warning bells to go off in her brain. This was not how they were supposed to be…this was wrong…right? And as soon as she realized what she was doing she immediately pulled back, but her wrist was suddenly caught. "L-Let go."

"No."

Leora growled, snatching her wrist back with renewed strength. Who was he to control her? She needed to fix this situation and turn it back into something she was comfortable with. Her eyes bore into his, gold clashing defiantly against blue. "You've crossed the line." She pushed him backwards until they stood on opposite sides of the bathroom door frame. She gestured towards the line that separated the wooden flooring of his bedroom and the white tile of the bathroom. "This is the line. You as my Knight are not to cross this line ever again." Oh how her ancestors must be rolling in her grave right now. To engage in sexual relations with not just a human, but her bonded Knight?! Completely unheard of.

Laxus blinked at her twice before simply crossing over the threshold. He continued to step forward, causing Leora to back up until her back hit the sink. Her hand reactively moved in between them in an attempt to stop his advance.

"You!" Leora exclaimed in frustration. Why wasn't he listening to her?!

"Sunshine," Laxus addressed her with a low voice as he continued to push forward until their faces were but an inch away from each other. "I'll cross that line a million times if I have to, if it means I'll reach you on the other side."

Leora turned away from his heavy gaze, unwilling to process the emotions behind it. For some reason, his statement made her cheeks heat up. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. "We are nakama. Nothing more." They were supposed to be just nakama, friends at most. Whatever last night was, was too far beyond that. "I only have one goal. I don't need any distractions."

Laxus hands came up to press against the sink, effectively trapping her. His voice sent shivers down her spine as his breath tickled her sensitive ear. "So I'm a distraction?"

"Yes. Wait, N-No!" Leora didn't know what to say since both answers seemed incorrect. She growled when she felt the rumbling of his chest against her skin as he chuckled. He was too close.

"You're in my personal space. Leave." Her voice hardened despite her body's protests to submit to his overbearing presence.

Laxus definitely had no intentions of backing off and instead pushed forward until he was now close enough that his body was almost flush against hers. Since her neck was turned, it gave him full access to the mark he left in that spot last night. But there was something missing…

For just a slight moment he felt his fangs instinctively elongating again, but this time tiny sparks of lightning covered each one.

Leora panicked as soon as she felt his magic brush against the skin of her neck, directly above where he had bit her the night before.

"Don't!" Leora shouted adamantly before she shoved against his chest with renewed fervor. Laxus stumbled backwards far enough that he stopped outside of the bathroom. Using that as her chance she slammed the door shut, locking it immediately.

"O-Oi Sunshine! Stop running away!"

"I'm not running away!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!" Leora shouted back through the door before realizing that this shouting match was childish. She huffed, before realizing again the state of disarray her body was currently in. Quickly walking into the shower and turning on the water to a freezing temperature, she attempted to wash away all evidence from last night from her body, both inside and out, while also trying to cool down her already flaming skin. Everywhere he touched reignited the fire she felt the night before. This was not good. Not good at all.

She stayed in there for what felt like an hour, underneath the icy cold spray, but despite washing her body thoroughly, the memory of him being inside her refused to leave through the drains in the shower floor. It haunted her, leaving her feeling empty without him. Growing frustrated with herself, she roughly turned off the water before stepping out of the bathtub and drying off with a spare towel. While she normally just walked out of the bathroom completely naked, today she felt the need to keep herself covered. Wrapped in the fluffy white fabric, Leora exhaled harshly before turning the door knob quickly, slamming the door open. She ran straight past the unsuspecting dragon slayer lounging on his bed and into her own room before slamming her own bedroom door shut.

Laxus had been lost in his thoughts while the dragoness had been showering and was unprepared for her rapid exit to her room. He cursed. Gone was the chance to continue his talk with the dragoness. 'No distractions'. Like hell he was going to accept that. There was no doubting it now, she was attracted to him and call it selfish or what not, but he was going to use that to his full advantage. Staring out of his bedroom door at hers, he sighed before getting up and taking a cold shower of his own.

Leora still breathed heavily even after reaching the safety of her own room. But after a couple of minutes, she realized that she needed to get out of this house in order to calm down. Everything here, even within her own room reminded her of him. She tried to fashion her regular clothes, but one look in her mirror reminded her of why that wasn't possible. Which was why after a couple of minutes of decision making, she carefully stepped out of her bedroom wearing the highest long sleeved turtle neck she could find and a pair of long jeans that reached her ankles. She let out a sigh of relief when she still heard the sound of the shower. Slowly sneaking out towards the kitchen, she paused when her eyes caught sight of the kitchen counter…

 _When he reached her, he immediately shoved her roughly over the kitchen counter, the action sending any nearby dishes to go crashing to the floor. The cool press of the marble against her heated skin caused her to moan at the conflicting sensations. His clawed hand pressed her firmly against the counter, while his other trailed against her back, light enough so that it didn't break skin, but hard enough that red welts were left in its wake. She moaned in pleasure as her back tried to arch into his touch, but growled in frustration when she was unable to do. His growl signalled his displeasure and he pressed her harder into the marble in punishment for her movements. She whined in submission and to her reluctant delight he rewarded her by removing his hands from her back, settling them on her thighs instead. She felt his breath against her inner thighs and yelped in surprise when he nipped at them hard. Her tail whipped back and forth, but he suddenly grabbed hold of it. She cried out at the sudden jolt of pleasure she felt from his touch on her sensitive flesh. He smiled against skin of the thigh as if he was amused at discovering a new sensitive area of hers. He continued to stroke her tail as this lips travelled downwards, nipping and biting until she felt the welts and cuts littering the expanse of her leg. He then moved to do the same to her other. She groaned and growled at his ministrations, feeling her core getting wetter with each touch. But he denied her the satisfaction._

 _She snarled, beginning to lift her body from the counter, but fell back forward the moment she felt his tongue plunge straight into her weeping sex. He was relentless, diving his tongue in and out of her core while his thumb went to rub wildly at the bundle of nerves above it. His other hand never left the base of her tail. She screamed, unable to handle to triple sensations, his tongue sending blazing heat throughout her core, while his thumb and hand sent jolts of pleasure straight up her spine. The coil was tightening, and fast. It wasn't long before she was so close to the edge-_

 _He stopped. She growled in frustration, but it turned into a roar the moment he stood, lifted one of her legs and plunged his sex straight into her. That moment alone sent her crashing into the abyss, but he didn't stop as he searched for his own oblivion. His thrusts continued, keeping her riding the endless high of her orgasm until it reached an even higher peak. She bit hard into her own forearm the moment she came again, and whimpered when she felt him release inside of her with a loud grunt._

 _She wasn't allowed any rest as he immediately lifted her into his arms and walked them towards their bedroom…_

Leora's hands were clenched into fists as her mind replayed the moments that happened in this room with vivid detail. The warmth that she was barely able to remove in the shower returned full force, hitting her like a ton of breaks. She moaned, feeling the heat pool in her nether regions. She needed to get out of here. Taking faster, unsteady steps, she made it to the living room before taking in the sight of the ruined couch as she walked by. Her steps faltered and her hands reached forward, gripping the back of the couch for support as another memory resurfaced…

 _After he had taken her by the front entrance, he lifted her off the door, her quivering chamber still wrapped around his hardened length. He walked them towards their bedroom, but when they passed by the living room she suddenly squeezed hard on his cock, causing him to trip from the sensation and sending them tumbling over the couch. Somehow he landed on his back while she was straddling his waist above him. She grinned. It was her turn to be in control now._

 _She leaned forward, moving her head to his chest, listening carefully to his rapid breathing. She smirked as it picked up after she nipped at his skin. Realizing that it wasn't enough for her, she bit down hard into the flesh drawing fresh blood. She moaned as she savoured his taste which was unlike any of the humans she's ever had before. His blood was like ambrosia, and she wanted more. She barely paid attention to his growls as she continued to sink her teeth into any inch of skin she could get herself to, making her way down his body until she reached his groin. She gave one side of his inner thigh a deep bite, before lifting her teeth and lapping at the blood that flowed freely from the wound. Staring at him, she realized there was something else she had wanted to taste again…_

 _This time she heard his low growl when she enveloped him, reaching as far down his arousal as she could until she couldn't go any further. The remainder she allowed for her tail to wrap around, gently pumping as she sucked and licked at the tip. She listened to his soft groans as she continued her dual ministrations until she felt his cock swell inside her mouth. With her mouth still over his hardened length, she growled, sending him over the edge. She eagerly swallowed his release, imprinting his taste into her memory._

 _He amazed her by regaining his hardness only minutes after. She decided to fix that. Lifting herself up, one clawed hand against his chest, she smirked at his lust filled gaze and watched him snarl as she slowly lowered herself down onto his arousal. Her eyes rolled back as she felt him fill her once again, feeling the slight burn as he entered her to the hilt. She rocked forward gently back and forth until the burn was replaced with scorching pleasure. But she kept her pace slow, keeping him on the edge, relishing in the control she had over him._

 _But it was short lived. With a low growl, his hands reached up to her hips and plunged her down towards him. She cried out at the sensation and wasn't allowed to recover as he slammed her body down onto his cock over and over again. She growled both in frustration and pleasure as she had wished to be in control, but once again he had taken it from her. It didn't take long until she felt herself nearing release and she roared to the heavens as came, white bursts of pleasure filling her vision. He came not too long afterwards, filling her sex with his seed. Both of them stayed there for a few moments, panting heavily, before a part of her conscious side resurfaced and realized what was happening. She immediately got off of him and bolted._

 _But she didn't make it past the kitchen…_

Leora had gripped the back of the couch so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. Realizing she needed to move on before she succumbed to her instincts once again, she stumbled towards the front door, her legs feeling heavier with each step. Her eyes zeroed in on the door knob and her hand reached out to grab it, but she made the mistake of looking up. Two sets of large claw marks raked down the back of the door, the last reminder of what had happened last night. Her other hand traced over the marks, remembering that she made these herself. Her claws had dragged down the expanse of the wood just as he was pulling her away from the door. The sound of shredding wood was still ingrained in her mind.

Her knees threatened to buckle as her core pulsed in need.

Her hand desperately turned the door knob, but as soon as she pulled, two hands slammed into the door, closing it shut and caging her in between the door and a hard body.

"Don't run away from me."

"Let me go Laxus," Leora hissed, frustrated that her body was already reacting to his proximity. "I don't have time for this." Her voice started to raise though she didn't know why. "If you want sex just go to your other women!" Wait. Why did she say that?

"I don't-"

"Don't lie to me!" Why was she shouting? "I saw what you were doing last evening. Was everything all a game to you? Do you sleep with all your nakama?!" She was shouting into the door now. But why? Why did she sound so angry?

She felt his breath stop for a moment, before he spoke. "Were you…jealous of Cana?"

"What? Of course not!"

He continued, his voice right next to her ear. "Because I can tell you why I went to her. It's because, for the past while, I could never get you out of my god dammed mind."

She suddenly realized how close they actually were.

His voice was too deep. "So I tried to at least get rid of my physical urges. But you know what? You ruined that for me too." It held hints of both amusement and anger.

His voice was too rough. "My body doesn't respond to anyone but you anymore. Your scent, your touch-" His arms suddenly removed themselves from the door and before she knew it, he wrapped them tightly around her. She was now pressed firmly to his chest.

"D-Don't," she whispered, feeling the instant heat radiating from his body into hers. It penetrated into every nerve of her body along with his words.

His voice was too determined. "So I'm going to ruin you for anyone else as well…Leora."

Why did her name sound so devilishly good coming from his lips?

His voice was too certain. "I want your body to only respond to me, your mind to only think of me. I want everything of yours. Your body, your heart, your soul. All of it."

Despite her knees having gone weak, she struggled against his hold and flipped around, angry at his declaration. "All of me?! You're being ridiculously selfish!"

His face lowered towards hers, his stormy eyes blazing with passion as they locked onto hers. "Good. Then I'm doing exactly what you've told me to do."

She immediately pressed herself back into the door. "Wha-mmph!" She was unable to prevent the assault on her lips, the sounds of her struggle muffled by his mouth over hers. One of his hands immediately tangled into her hair. The kiss was not as rough as the one from the night before, but it was just as commanding. She felt herself surrendering to his touch, granting him access when he swept his tongue against her lips. She couldn't hold back the moan as their tongues tangled together once more, and she was instantly reminded of his smoky taste. She couldn't help the pooling of heat in between her legs, nor prevent her body from pressing against his-

A loud rap against the door brought Leora back to sanity. She pushed him away in sheer panic before immediately turning around. She almost pulled the knob right off when she yanked the door open. Bickslow's shocked face greeted her yet again. Flushing heavily, she was instantly reminded of what had transpired earlier this morning. Utterly flustered and confused, she pushed past him, running down the street and towards the guild.

Bickslow scratched the back of his head again as he caught Laxus' dark glare. "Did I catch you at a bad time again?" A slam of the door in his face answered his question.

As soon as the door shut, Laxus turned around and leaned against it, feeling the splinters driving into his back. Though this morning didn't turn out exactly the way he had wanted to, he felt the grin spreading across his face. While she had practically outright rejected him, he wasn't going to let that deter him anymore. His mind was set. He knew she felt something for him, whether she acknowledged it or not, and he was going to make her realize it, whether she wanted to or not.

One thing was certain now, and it was what was making him so happy.

She was finally _aware_ of him.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry for the delay. Studying is still ongoing (and quickly becoming a 9-5 job lol) so updates will still be occasional, but I'll try my best. It took quite a while for this chapter to sound remotely right and I'm still not sure if it was any good. But yay, I feel like some of you will be happy that things finally happened. Took them long enough...**_

 _ **Favourite line of the chapter: "Sunshine, I'll cross that line a million times if I have to, if it means I'll reach you on the other side." *blushes while writing it***_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	27. Arc III-27: The Art of Courting

**Chapter 27**

The sharp knock had Laxus growling. He lifted himself off the door before grabbing the knob and swinging it wide open. "What are you still doing here?"

Bickslow gave him a lopsided grin. "So you two huh? Last night?" Taking a quick glance at his leader's shirtless stature, he wondered if anything else had happened this morning.

"That is none of your business."

"Wow she really did a number on you," Bickslow said, gesturing to the wounds all over his chest. "And to the house. Was that all you two?!" He sounded strangely impressed.

Laxus couldn't help the arrogant smirk that creeped onto his face as his mind replayed some of the finer moments of the night before.

Bickslow groaned dramatically in disgust. "God. Please wipe that grin off your face. And don't tell me anything." His eyes trailed down to the floor. "I think I already know too much."

Laxus laughed. The seith mage must have caught the shredded pieces of clothing on the floor. A mixture of both his and hers. "You don't know anything."

Bickslow slipped himself past Laxus and into the house. Laxus rolled his eyes before closing the door. He turned to face his friend, seeing his jaw dropped to the floor. "Seriously Laxus?! What did the poor door do to you?"

Laxus grinned. "Don't ask me. I wasn't the one who did that." Well not directly at least. He may have been the one to pull her away from the door, but those claw marks were all hers.

Bickslow groaned. "Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all. Freed is going to freak if he sees this. Think of all the cleaning he's going to have to do."

Laxus scratched the back of his head. "Yea… I'll get to that later." After he figured out how to stop the dragoness from freaking out every time he tried to get close to her.

Bickslow seemed to sense his dampening mood. "So if things went so well, why the hell am I in here while she's run off?"

Laxus sighed in frustration. "The hell if I know."

"She freaked didn't she."

The look on his face must have said it all since Bickslow's eyes lowered in sympathy.

"Can't say I'm surprised."

Laxus turned towards his friend. "…Why do you say that?"

Bickslow shrugged. "Just a hunch. But hell even I would freak out if I suddenly had crazy animal sex and woke up next to…let's say, Ever." His nose was already scrunched and he shivered in mock horror.

Laxus growled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Let's face it," Bickslow started. "She isn't exactly head over heels for you…well not yet that is." Bickslow shot Laxus a wink. "Even if she's slightly interested, to go from that to full out passionate sex in one night is a lot."

"I ain't backing off," Laxus said, crossing his arms. Not after the progress he finally made.

"Hey," Bickslow raised his hands in mock defense. "I'm not saying that you should, but you should probably show some patience."

"I think I've showed _enough_ patience," Laxus grumbled.

Bickslow cackled. "Yes, yes, we know."

Laxus growled in frustration before walking over to the living room couch, or what's left of it, and dropped down onto its cushions. "Then what do I do?" He tried not to think of what he actually _did do_ on this very couch the night before.

Bickslow stepped over some broken glass before turning the recliner back over so he could sit. "Honestly. I don't know. Leora's pretty complicated."

"Ya don't say…"

Bickslow smiled at him. "I think we need some help." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his lacrima communicator.

"Wait. What are you doing?" Laxus asked, staring at the device warily.

"Calling for backup."

* * *

Leora's nose caught another whiff of wood as she groaned into table once again. She felt a soft hand against her head.

Levy's voice drifted into her ears. "Are you sure you're okay Leora? You've been moaning into the table for the past five minutes."

Gajeel's voice was rougher, and held obvious hints of amusement. "Maybe she's recalling something important." He couldn't have been anymore suggestive. "We should probably leave her alone Shrimp." A sharp jolt of lightning had the iron dragon slayer yelping.

"No Gajeel…" Levy said, her voice hinting at worry. "We're staying right here. Or well at least I'm staying here."

"Damn it Shrimp, you're my mate, shouldn't you be on my side?"

Levy laughed. "Not right now I'm not. Now shush." Leora felt the soft hand brushing against her hair again. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong…"

Levy scrunched her nose in worry. Something was definitely wrong with the dragoness. First off, she has never seen the blonde this covered up before. From her turtle neck to her long jeans, barely an inch of the dragoness' body remained seen, aside from her face and her hands. That has _never_ happened before.

"Shrimp," Gajeel said to her right. "Maybe she's just had a _long, exhausting_ night and doesn't want to talk about it."

"What do you mean by that?"

Gajeel sighed, obviously frustrated by Levy's innocence. "She seems _awfully_ covered up today Shrimp. Can you remember a time when _you_ needed to wear that much?" The end of the sentence sounded highly suggestive.

Levy paused for a moment. "…oh!" A healthy blush spread across her cheeks. "But with who?"

Gajeel smirked. "Who else, but La-" Another sharp jolt stopped his sentence. This time the dragoness lifted her head to glare at him. But it didn't have much bite since she simply returned to knocking her head against the wood of the table. "Wow you're really beat up about this? Was it _that_ bad?"

"Gajeel!" Levy scolded.

Leora mumbled into the table. "…I can't believe…with a human…"

Gajeel narrowed his eyes. "Ah. So that's the issue."

Leora grumbled again, but her words were too muffled to understand.

Levy frowned, unsure of how to react, given the fact that she was a human herself. But she kind of understood where the dragoness was coming from. Judging from her reactions, it seemed that whatever happened last night was a spur of the moment event. Leora probably had the dragon's version of a one-night stand…and was now regretting it.

Levy stood up from the bench with purpose. "Come on Leora. Let's go shopping."

Leora perked up from the table, but Gajeel protested. "Oi Shrimp, we were supposed to go on a mission today!"

Levy turned towards her mate with a sympathetic smile. "We'll go tomorrow okay? I'll see you back home!" She then proceeded to drag the dragoness off from the table and out the door.

"O-Oi!" Gajeel turned towards the now empty table and grumbled. "Idiotic pair. Dragging Shrimp into all of this." He sat there for a few seconds more before slamming the table and heading out.

* * *

"Is this necessary?" Laxus grumbled, staring across the room at his teammates. They were all gathered in his now, slightly fixed living room. The furniture was turned back over and anything broken was thrown into the trash, but it was still very obvious that something had happened here.

"Of course!" Evergreen smiled. "We're here to help. Because it's quite obvious that you need some."

Laxus grunted as he sat down in a chair across from his teammates. "Fine. What do I do then?"

"Well it seems as if you took everything backwards," Freed started, staring at the mess that was Laxus' living room. He shivered at the amount of cleaning he would need to do to fix everything. "Perhaps you need to start from the beginning?"

Laxus stared at his friend with disbelief. "From the beginning?" He did not come all this way just to start at the very beginning all over again. Granted he did know that he had the order of things all wrong…

"Like a date," Evergreen said.

"You do know how to take a woman out on a date right?" Bickslow asked with a raised brow.

Laxus stared at them blankly. He tried to remember all the times he's ever been on dates before and all he could recall were the women taking charge of the entire ordeal. He had never had to initiate before. Women kind of just…flocked to him.

It appeared as though the Raijinshuu caught onto that fact. Bickslow stared at him with a blank face. "Damn it Laxus, I kinda want to punch you right now."

"Shut up Bicks," Laxus grumbled. "None of this is helping."

Freed shook his head. "Dating wasn't exactly what I was getting at." He opened his mouth to continue, but a harsh knock at the door had him pausing. "I'll get that." Freed walked towards the door, opening it to find-

"Where is the goddamn lightning rod?" Gajeel asked with a grunt, his tone betraying his impatience.

Freed wanted to tell Gajeel to come back at a better time, but the dragon slayer had already pushed past him, walking into the house. Gajeel took one hard look at the state of the house, threw his head back and howled with laughter.

Laxus growled, but Gajeel continued to laugh, holding his arms to his waist. "It really must have been quite a night." That comment caused Bickslow and Evergreen to snicker as well.

"What are you doing here Gajeel?" Laxus asked, clearly unamused.

Gajeel plopped down into an empty sofa. "Helping _you_ take care of your mess, so that _she_ will stop hanging around Levy."

Laxus shot him a glare, but didn't say anything else. Gajeel took another quick sweep of the living room before his eyes widened slightly. "Did you go all out last night?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like did you let go of your inner dragon, that's what I mean."

"…I think so, everything is sorta a blur."

Gajeel stared at him with wide eyes.

"What's wrong?" Evergreen asked.

"There's nothing wrong with that, 'cept I'd never release my inner dragon with…Shrimp." Gajeel coughed, slightly pink. "I'd tear her apart. No wonder why the dragon girl was covering herself up." Gajeel grinned as he leaned forward. "Better question. Did _she_ let herself go?"

Laxus nodded. "Ya she did."

Gajeel leaned back with one arm over the sofa. "Well, at least you have some sort of a chance."

"What do you mean?" Bickslow asked.

Freed butted in, annoyed that Gajeel was stealing his show. "A dragon runs highly on its instincts. If you were able to get it to surface…to respond then-"

"Then at least a part of her is interested," Gajeel grinned.

Laxus would be lying if he didn't admit that he felt even a slight bit of relief.

"But of course," Gajeel continued. "Interest isn't everything. You're at quite the disadvantage."

"Why?"

"You're human."

Laxus growled. Again with being human. "Why does that matter?"

Gajeel laughed. "I don't think it was long ago that she was eating humans…as food. Think of what she's thinking right now, seeing as she just had sex with her food. Hell, I'd be horrified if I woke up next to a pig."

Freed immediately stood up. "You're comparing Laxus to a pig!" The rest of the Raijinshuu had to hold him back from tackling the iron dragon slayer.

Gajeel placed his hands up in defense. "I'm just trying to get you to think in her shoes. It's probably why she ran this morning isn't it. And knowing you, _you_ probably suffocated her this morning."

Laxus averted his eyes. He was guilty of that one. He sighed. "Fine so what do I do now?"

"You've been going at this wrong," Gajeel said. "You're still thinking of what you should do as if you were dealing with another human."

Freed nodded, still glaring at Gajeel. "This was what I was about to talk about before. I suggest the best course of action would be…to court her."

"Court her?" Bickslow laughed, his tongue hanging out. "Like eighteenth century style?"

"Not quite," Freed glared.

"Freed's right," Gajeel pointed out. "Dragon's are _very_ stubborn and traditional creatures. Trust me. If you want to her to even think about considering you as a mate, you'd have to go through all the motions."

Laxus sat back for a moment, slightly taken aback by Gajeel's words. _Mate_. He hadn't even thought about that, it seemed so final. Was that what he wanted from her? For her to be his mate…?

Gajeel narrowed his eyes as if he could see into his thoughts. "That _is_ what you're going for right? Because you better figure this out now. Dragons mate for life. One wrong decision and you're stuck forever and _she's_ stuck forever. And in this case, forever really means forever."

Laxus furrowed his brows. This was way beyond what he was expecting. But Gajeel was right. What did he really want? His thoughts were a jumbled mess, but one thing was certain. He wanted her. Badly. And not just for her body…though it was increasingly hard not to think about that. He wanted her heart and her soul as well. He wanted her smile, her laughter, her snarky retorts. Her furious passion and unapologetic confidence.

There was no one else he wanted more to be by his side...forever.

Well, damn. Guess that was his answer.

Evergreen smiled. "I think he already knows the answer." In fact, all of the Raijinshuu already knew. Long time ago.

Laxus tried to hide his blush behind a scowl.

Gajeel snickered. "Gihi. Well if you're committed then it makes it easier. Like I said, it appears her instincts are already acknowledging you," Gajeel said. "That's the first step. Normally that would be enough, but the dragon girl…is quite stubborn in the mind department. Seems like she doesn't quite want to accept the fact that she slept with a human."

Laxus' mood darkened. He didn't exactly know how to fix that. It wasn't like he could stop being a human. Of the things she would discredit him for, it would just happen to be something he couldn't control.

"We just need to show her that you are more than just human," Freed said, looking confident. He had to, to keep the mood from downshifting too much. "Therefore, I suggested courting, which is one of the dragon's rituals to entice a potential mate."

"And what does this courting actually mean?" Laxus asked.

"Well…"

* * *

Leora let out a contended sigh as she pushed open the door to the house, carrying bags upon bags of her latest purchases. Levy asked her how she was going to pay for all of it, but when she pulled out Laxus' credit card, she just smirked before pulling her towards more shops.

She was so absorbed with carrying all her purchases that she almost didn't notice the entire gathering in the living room. Almost.

"What are you all doing here?" Leora asked. For some reason they all looked at her…then blushed. She looked down and realized she was still completely covered up. They must have made _unnecessary_ assumptions. "Nothing happened!" She quickly rushed into her room, ignoring Laxus whose lingering gaze almost had her shivering.

When Gajeel saw Levy he immediately got up off the couch. "Well. That's my cue to leave." He walked over to Levy before picking up her bags and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Levy protested, swinging her legs.

Gajeel smirked. "This is punishment for ditching our mission." He was already out the door by then.

Levy huffed. "Fine. By the way why were you over there? What were you talking about?"

"Gihi," Gajeel laughed. "Nothing special."

Levy furrowed her brows but let her mate keep his secrets.

The Raijinshuu left the house soon after Gajeel as well, but not before wishing Laxus luck. Laxus scowled as he sent them off before immediately closing the door and locking it. Their conversation today was…enlightening, but all that talking had him exhausted.

He headed towards his room before stopping in front of Leora's. Curious, he twisted the knob to her room before smiling when it was unlocked. The dragoness always forgot to lock her door.

Laxus froze when he saw how many bags were littered on the floor. He hadn't gotten a good look when she first walked in from the door, but now it was obvious that she vented her anger on his wallet. She, on the other hand, was lounging on the bed with a smile.

"And how exactly did you pay for those?" It was a rhetorical question.

Leora held out the black credit card. _His_ black credit card.

Laxus immediately walked over. But to his annoyance, she quickly shifted backwards on the bed away from him. He would've felt hurt, were it not for the small hint of a blush and the quickening of her heartbeat. He smirked and leaned over her.

Or at least he tried. "Oi Sunshine. What are you doing?" She had both her legs up straight, feet pressed against his stomach, preventing him from getting closer. Her hands were placed in front of like a shield.

"What do you think _you're_ doing?" Leora asked, heat rising in her body. Having him this close only reminded her of the events that happened last night.

Laxus smirked. "I just wanted to talk Sunshine." He looked down at her, quite enjoying the view of her lying on the bed, flustered. He glanced down at her legs, feeling a grin growing.

"Well you can talk just fine ther-ah!" His hands glided against the back of her thighs, burning a trail up towards her rear. That shock had her knees weakening, given him just enough time to pull her legs apart and slip in between.

Leora's eyes widened when Laxus was only inches away, his body pressed firmly against hers. "Well I like talking here better."

"Get off me," Leora said through gritted teeth. She was trying to ignore the way his large hands were currently massaging the back of her thighs. The sensation sent tiny sparks up her spine. He watched her with an uncomfortable intensity, but she refused to back down.

"Why do you keep trying to deny this?"

"Last night was a fault in my judgement," Leora said, gesturing between them. "It won't happen again."

Laxus growled. This was not what how he wanted her to react after all this. He pressed further, but immediately felt her flinch. Laxus sighed heavily and leaned back. "Fine. I won't try anything okay?"

Leora raised a brow, staring at him with disbelief. "Really?

"I promise I won't," Laxus said as he got up.

Leora sat up just as Laxus was exiting her bedroom. She didn't know what to do now that she was all hot and bothered. She wanted to shout in frustration. How did he manage to do this to her?

Laxus glanced over his shoulder just as he was leaving. "Oh by the way Sunshine? We've got a job tomorrow."

Leora wanted to refuse, but he didn't give her the chance to since he had already closed the door of his own bedroom.

Great. How was she supposed to handle going on a mission with him now?

* * *

Leora sighed. "What are you doing?"

"Setting up our tent for the night," Laxus grunted as he lifted the tent pole into place. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Leora frowned. "Why didn't we just get a room – two rooms."

"The only inn in town was full Sunshine and I highly doubt any of the townsfolk will want to take us in," Laxus said as he walked around, inspecting the tent.

"Fine," Leora said, still wary. "But why is there only _one_ tent?"

Laxus turned to her with a smirk. "Well, it's not my fault you didn't bring your own." He tried not to laugh when her jaw dropped.

Leora growled as she sat down by the campfire. "Fine. I'll just sleep outside tonight."

Laxus raised a brow. He'll see how long she'll last. The dragoness had grown a little spoiled over the past couple of months. He wouldn't be surprised if she was complaining by the next morning.

"Well," Laxus said as he brushed his hands. "You stay and watch the campsite. I'm going to find us something to eat."

Leora turned. "W-Wait! I don't want anything!" But he had already disappeared into the woods. Leora glanced down at her hands…and flushed. How was it that she was letting him hunt for her again?! The last time…the last time was merely due to absolute necessity. She was out of commission and exhausted. But she was perfectly capable of hunting for herself tonight. So why was she still sitting here?

Her eyes glanced around the campsite.

That's right. She was alone. She had forgotten when the last time she had gone out on a mission with _him_ , just by themselves. She had asked the Raijinshuu to join them, but for some reason they left for a mission just before she was able to ask…

Her hands fisted in her lap. It's fine. All she has to do is refuse.

Leora was still sitting there, staring absentmindedly into the flames when suddenly a deer dropped right next to her. She looked up.

"That's yours," Laxus said.

"I'm not hungry."

There was a slight rumble from Laxus' chest, but Leora barely caught the sound. "You sure Sunshine? You haven't eaten in a while."

Leora inwardly groaned. He was right. The last time she ate was when she went into heat, but that didn't really count. So right now, she was starving. And just smelling the deer and its blood right next to her was causing her to salivate.

And Laxus smirked at her as if he knew it.

He said nothing more as he cut up his own deer and seared it over the fire. The longer Leora sat there, the more blood seeped out and the more enticing it became. Her instincts urged her to take it. They've been a lot more…active since _that night._ It's been quite distracting…amongst other things.

By the time Laxus was done, her deer was still sitting there. He announced that he would be heading to bed since it was getting late and swiftly walked into his tent. Leora sat there, her eyes flickering back and forth between the closed tent and the deer.

The deer…

Laxus tried to calm down his own disgruntled inner dragon as he sat down inside his tent.

" _The first step to courting…is the hunt," Freed said._

The hunt. Strange that he's felt as though he had done something like this before. Freed had briefed him on the few stages to courting before the Raijinshuu left on a mission of their own, so that he could have her all to himself. There was a small chip in Laxus' pride since he had to rely on all their planning, but if that was what was needed, then he was willing to do anything.

Laxus had planned on passing out as soon as he entered his tent. He assumed she wasn't going to take the bite today. Freed had told him about that as well. Most dragons don't take the first offering, since they liked to see perseverance.

He grumbled. He was sure he already had plenty of that.

But curiosity won him over and he crawled towards the front of his tent. There was a small flap in the tent that, when lifted, was like a window facing the campsite. Mustering the stealth he hoped he had, he lifted the flap and watched. Not to his surprise, Leora was still sitting there, not having moved an inch. His inner dragon grumbled in displeasure once again. It obviously wasn't happy that she had refused his offering.

But Laxus felt a small smile creeping across his face when her eyes flickered between the deer and the tent. It was as if she was waiting to see if he would come out. A few minutes later, her eyes zoned in on the deer. Then her nose twitched, and her tongue came out to swipe at her lips.

Laxus felt his own heart beating faster when she shifted slightly towards his offering. First came one of her fingers, swiping a hint of blood. She took a quick glance at the tent before bringing it to her lips. His inner dragon shivered the same moment she did.

 _Come on Sunshine._

His inner dragon roared in victory when she finally bent down and took her first bite. Lifting her head, blood trailed down her chin and she licked her lips. She stared at the deer for a couple more moments before she reached for its leg and disappeared into the woods a split second later.

Laxus grinned like a madman. He headed back to the blankets in the middle of the tent and laid down. After a couple heart-pounding minutes, he fell asleep.

 _Step one. Success._

* * *

Leora groaned as she splashed more water over her body, watching the blood taint the water pink. She couldn't believe that she accepted it. What was wrong with her?!

Sighing, she sank into the waters. She sat there for minutes – dragons can hold their breath for long periods of time – thinking about how foolish she was for taking the deer. But god it was so good after not eating for so long. Besides he didn't know what it meant right?

Her mind flashed back to that smirk of his.

Air bubbled to the surface as she growled. He knew.

What is his aim? T-To court her? He couldn't be serious…could he?

Her instincts rumbled as her mind returned to the events of _that night_. The burning touches, the searing kisses, the-

Bursting out of the water to catch her breath, Leora pushed away that line of thought. She growled loudly in frustration before standing there, breathing heavily. What was wrong with her lately?

Deciding it was time to head back, she got out of the springs and returned to the campsite. She glanced at the tent for a moment, before settling in by the fire. Her instincts continued to hum in the back of her mind, restless…

* * *

Laxus wondered why he was stirring despite sleeping for what he figured was only an hour. This situation felt strangely familiar. The heavy weight on his chest, the brush of a tongue against his neck…the brush of a tongue against his neck?!

His eyes burst wide open to meet dark golden ones, completely feral.

"Sunshine, what are you doing?" Laxus exclaimed. Leora only growled and continued to place small bites down his neck. His body burned, especially near his groin. But this…this wasn't what he wanted.

Growling, he flipped her onto her back. She tried to touch him, but he pinned her arms to her side. "No."

Her eyes flashed dangerously.

"Sunshine. I thought I told you I wanted _all_ of you," Laxus said, right into her ear. He didn't miss the shiver that went down her spine. "And until you come to me, it ain't happening." He didn't want her blaming her actions on her instincts. When he touched her again, he wanted to make sure that she was fully conscious.

Leora gave her a mix between a snarl and a pout. She tried to break free, but Laxus managed grab hold of her hands and turn her around so her back was pressed against his chest. He groaned when she grinded against his already stiff arousal. "Stop." He nipped at her neck in warning and thankfully she stopped with a rumble in her chest. "If you want me, then you better convince your other half as well. Because I want all sides of you."

Leora turned her head around and slowly gave him a wolfish grin as if she understood. "Good to see we're on the same page." Then the feral look in her eyes slowly faded away until her eyes returned to their brighter, golden colour.

Laxus froze. He didn't mean now!

Leora took a few moments to focus, but when she did she yelped. "W-What are you doing?!"

Laxus forgot that he was still wrapped around her body, so there were consequences when she started to struggle against him. He tried to hold back his groan, but it didn't work. "Oi Sunshine, you might want to stop that."

Leora froze completely…and started to growl. "Why am I here?!"

"Hey," Laxus said, leaning towards her ear. "You were the one who barged into my tent."

"That's impossible! I went to sleep outside." But she realized what had happened as soon as her instincts purred inside her mind. She tried to scramble to her feet, but he only pulled her in tighter. Her body immediately heated up.

"Where are you going Sunshine?"

Leora cursed her body for responding. "Back outside." What was wrong with her? A sudden brush of his hand underneath her breast and she finally realized her state of dress…or lack there of.

She yelped when he flipped her onto her back, his body trapping hers underneath his. "Stay." Her heart beat faster with each kiss he trailed down her neck and towards her chest.

Leora closed her eyes, trying to suppress her reaction. She let out a small gasp when his tongue brushed over a hardening nipple. "You said you weren't going to try anything!"

Laxus smirked. "I'm not." His lips closed over the one he was currently lavishing.

"L-Liar." The sensations shot straight to her core and her claws dug into her palms.

He released her nipple with a pop. He sighed. "You tempt me too much." He lifted his head to face her. "Fine. If you tell me no, then I'll stop."

Despite heavy flush to her cheeks, her response was immediate. "No."

Laxus choked up before laughing. "Alright Sunshine, if you say so." He rolled over to his side, pulling her with him so that her back pressed against his chest.

"This isn't any better!" Leora hissed. His proximity wasn't doing anything for the pooling heat in her stomach. Neither was the air that brushed against her chest, nor the innocently placed hand against her stomach. Especially not his not-so-innocent arousal pressed against her back.

But, for some reason, his scent spread a soothing warmth throughout her body. A feeling of safety enveloped her, like it did every time she was in his arms-

 _What is she thinking?!_

"Relax Sunshine," Laxus said as he tightened his hold around her. "Sleep."

 _How was she supposed to sleep like this?!_

Her brain kept repeating that thought, while her body pulsed with arousal, but surprisingly as the minutes ticked by, she slowly started to relax. And finally, after a while, she fell asleep to the sound of his beating heart.

Laxus, on the other hand, was playing a _very_ dangerous game. His mind willed every inch of his body to behave as he tried to keep his promise. He told himself that it was already good enough that he could send her into a state of physical frustration. It meant that their previous night together was…re-creatable. He just needed her to realize this herself, because he wasn't going to force her. No, he wanted her to come to him now. To realize that he was more than the human she branded him as.

But god was it hard to keep himself from taking her right then and there. He knew she was aroused; her scent was more than enough to alert him to that simple fact. But he couldn't. He needed to keep the small semblance of trust he built up with her. Besides, the fact that she was comfortable enough to sleep next to him like this was amazing enough.

And when she finally relaxed enough to fall asleep in his arms, he knew he had made the right choice.

Now if only he could fall asleep…

* * *

A huge wave of déjà vu hit Leora when she woke the next morning, lying on a bare chest, with an arm wrapped around her side. To add to the mix, she realized when she tried to move her legs that…she couldn't. They were so entangled with his that she couldn't tell where she ended and he began.

But this time, when she tried to get up, that arm tightened. His hand started to draw circles on her hip.

"Trying to run away again?"

Leora looked up to meet Laxus' deep blue eyes filled with amusement. She grumbled. "Where would I go? You'd just drag me back here anyways." She didn't want to know why her instincts were so fond of that idea.

Laxus chuckled before he leaned forward. Leora braced for another attack on her lips, but froze when he simply left a light kiss on her forehead. "Damn right I would." He stretched out his arms before getting out from underneath the covers and heading towards the tent's exit.

Leora merely laid there and blinked, trying to register what just happened.

Laxus glanced behind him just as he lifted the tent's flap. "Hurry up Sunshine. We've got a mission to start."

"O-Oh right." She ignored the warmth in her cheeks as she exited, blaming it on the stuffy atmosphere of the tent.

Their mission turned out to be an elimination request for a group of cave trolls, blocking the mine just a little north of the town they were in. At first, Leora thought it would be a simple job. Get in, kill the trolls, get out.

But for some reason, the mine tunnels seemed to be built like a labyrinth. Or according to Laxus, they were. He acted as navigator, but after an entire day, they only managed to take down less than a dozen trolls, compared to the reported fifty. Leora felt as though they spent the majority of the day being lost instead, wandering the tunnels _alone_.

Which didn't help her new annoying habit at all.

A habit which seemed to have popped up since _that night_. A habit in which she found her eyes wandering towards a certain dragon slayer. The situation didn't matter. He could be talking and somehow she would be focused on his lips. When he was fighting, her eyes landed…and then trailed over the outline of his muscles underneath this shirt. Sometimes she wouldn't even notice until _he_ caught her staring. To which she would then profusely deny that she was.

Something was definitely wrong with her.

Maybe she was sick.

But then again, dragons _never_ get sick.

By the end of the day, Leora was very close to simply destroying the mine itself just to kill the trolls. As long as it meant that she would have a minute away from Laxus to think. But of course, that wasn't an option. Which meant they would have to return the next day. Which meant another night _alone_ with _him_.

Leora grumbled the entire time it took for them to return to their campsite.

Laxus only grinned at her. "I'm heading to the springs to wash up Sunshine. Care to join me?"

"No."

Laxus shrugged. "Suit yourself." He headed off into the woods towards the hot spring Leora had found the night before.

Which gave Leora time to finally think. She didn't understand what was happening. Never had she experienced something like this before and it was confusing her to no ends. This physical attraction was unnatural.

…This _physical_ attraction.

!

Maybe it was _just_ a physical attraction. Nothing else.

As soon as Leora came to that conclusion, she decided to deal with it head on. By confronting the object of her physical affections and end this once and for all.

* * *

Laxus had been washing up in the hot spring when he heard the soft crunching of leaves, signalling her approach. He started to turn around.

"So you've decided to join me Sunshin-" He lost the end of his sentence when she removed all traces of her clothing in a flash of lightning. The moonlight accentuated the gentle glow of her creamy skin.

"O-Oi Sunshine, what are you doing?" This was not what he expected from her. Especially not from her behaviour from the last couple of days. Was something wrong? Was she alright? He checked her eyes and her demeanor, but he could tell that it wasn't her instincts in control. No this was all her.

She didn't answer him, continuing to walk toward the springs before gently lowering herself in. She waded forward towards him, her loose golden hair trailing along the water. Not wanting to back down, Laxus stood firm even when she pressed herself against him. A part of him wondered if he was dreaming.

She glanced up at him before her eyes settled on his chest. Laxus let out a hiss when she lifted a hand and trailed it slowly down his heated skin. What was happening?

Finally, she said something. "I'm not going to deny the physical attraction anymore." Her lips started to nip up his neck, sending sparks down his spine and straight to his groin.

"But I don't need this distraction."

Laxus' breath caught.

But she continued. "All you want is to tend to your physical needs right? Like all the other women you used to bring back to the house." Her tongue brushed gently along his neck. "That's fine. If I satisfy your physical needs, then this will stop."

The moment those words left her lips, Laxus saw red. "That was wrong on so many aspects Sunshine." He twisted her around and trapped her body to his with one arm. His breath trailed along the back of her neck after he brushed her hair to the side. He bit hard into her neck as a sign of his displeasure. Blood trailed down her chest. She yelped before thrashing against him.

"Don't!" But he kept his grip firm.

"Don't worry Sunshine, I won't mark you," Laxus said, trying to hold in the hurt and the anger. "But we're going to do this my way now. If I satisfy you physically-" One of his hands began to trail up her stomach, causing her to shiver. "-you comply with one of my wishes."

She shot him a haughty look over her shoulder. "As if you could satisfy me." Though as soon as those words left her mouth, Leora immediately regretted them. She wanted to run for the hills the moment she saw his eyes darken and his fangs elongate.

"You better keep your word Sunshine."

Leora growled when he roughly grasped her breasts. Laxus knew he was being harsh, but after what she said, both he and his inner dragon were fuming. How could she say something like that? Was that what she thought of him? That he was simply using her body for his pleasure?

She gasped when he roughly pinched her nipples. The scent of her arousal was starting to fill the air. But that didn't help his anger. He hated how she wouldn't give him a chance. Hated how she simply wrote him off because he was a human. It happened that night and he was pretty sure it was happening now.

She didn't think he could satisfy her? Well he was going to prove her wrong.

His claws dug into her hips as he ground his erection against her, watching with satisfaction as she trembled. The blood seeped from her wounds, tainting the waters a now familiar shade of pink. One hand resumed its position at her breast, while the other travelled down towards her core. Again he refused to be gentle, immediately entering her with two of his fingers earning him a loud roar. He didn't stop, punishing her with each thrust.

Leora tried to regain control of the situation. Her tail emerged and it tried to push him farther away from her just so she could catch her breath. But it only made things worse.

Laxus chuckled darkly. "That was a mistake Sunshine." Leora cried out when he grabbed hold of her tail, stroking roughly before giving its tip a tentative lick. The full body tremble she let out surprised him.

Leora's knees buckled as she felt the pressure building inside of her. She tried to keep it down, but when he added a third and curled his fingers, she immediately saw white. She barely recognized the moan she let out.

But he didn't give her a moment's rest, resuming the punishing speed with his fingers. To protect herself before it became too much, Leora let her instincts out, opting to keep her consciousness completely hidden away.

Laxus growled and his anger grew as soon as he sensed her shift. First she insults him with her words and now she was too much of a coward to face him? Furious, he picked her up and threw her onto the banks before pinning her to the ground with his body. She growled at him, but he didn't care.

Laxus bit down into her neck again, eliciting another roar. He pulled back and stared into her darkened feral eyes. "Fine. If I have to satisfy you first, then so be it." He gave her no warning before he trusted straight into her. He groaned at how tight and wet she was around him. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist, driving him in further.

Laxus only wished that the other side of her was this accepting of him. He continued, not stopping until he was able to send her instincts back. He didn't know how long it would take, but he didn't care.

* * *

Leora had safely hidden within her own mind, letting her instincts take complete control. All sensations felt like they were filtered and muffled and she was content to let it stay that way. She assumed that her instincts would take care of everything.

She had lost track of time, but then muted warmth turned into pulsing heat before a massive wave of pleasure washed over her. W-What was going on? She felt her instincts retreating within her mind, completely satisfied and purring in the corner like a contented cat. H-How did he-

She cried out when she felt another jolt of pleasure through her body. In fact, it came again and again and when her vision finally cleared, Laxus' smug look was staring straight in face.

"Welcome back Sunshine."

Leora tried to move her arms, but she realized they were pinned above her head. "H-How did you-" She was shocked at how raspy her voice had become. Just what had he done to her? She held back a moan when he rammed into her again. This was impossible. "S-Stop…" She couldn't think, her body completely overtaken with heat. The emptiness she felt that one morning was gone, and instead she was completely filled to brim. She was already teetering on the edge of bliss and with one sharp snap of his hips, he sent her over once again.

Leora growled as she was drowned by the pleasure, her back arching off the ground. She didn't understand. Nothing was making sense. Nothing was going the way she planned.

It was frustrating.

Laxus completely froze when he saw her tears streaming down her face. Those weren't tears of pleasure. "Sunshine what's wrong?" His anger at her completely dissipated and he immediately let go of her wrists, wondering if he had taken it too far.

Leora seemed to notice in that moment that she was crying as well. An arm immediately came up to shield her eyes. "It's frustrating…what's wrong with me?"

Laxus tried to move her arm so that he could see her, but she refused. "Sunshine, there's nothing wrong with you."

"Yes there is," Leora hissed. "T-This…has never happened before. I-I've never felt this way before and its frustrating." She really didn't know what was happening. She's had sex multiple times throughout her long life and never had it felt remotely like this before. Her instincts had never even stirred, let alone respond. But with him…with him, something was different. Why was he different?

 _Only with you have I felt this way._

Laxus' heart stopped beating. He choked up. "W-What did you say?"

Leora then realized she had broadcasted her thought through their Bond. She froze. "F-Forget what I said."

She gasped when he fell forward, wrapping his arms around her body. His breath tickled her sensitive ear. "Say it again."

"What? No."

"Please." She felt his chest rumble. "Say it again, for me, Leora." She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the way her heart fluttered at the desperation in his voice. As if all he ever wanted to hear was her voice.

Unable to deny him, Leora whispered, right into his ear. "…In all my years…the only one who's ever made me feel like this…is you."

His roar of triumph and pride almost deafened her and his embrace almost crushed the air from her lungs. She yelped when he leaned back and rammed into her with renewed passion. She cried out with each new jolt of pleasure he caused. She didn't know what came over him. She couldn't handle this anymore. It was too much.

She gasped at a particularly rough thrust. "La-" Her eyes shot wide open and her hand covered her mouth when she realized what she was about to say.

Laxus' gaze immediately locked onto hers, darkened with deep lust and…need. "Say it, Sunshine. I want to hear it from your lips."

Leora shook her head and her hand muffled another cry as he pounded into her.

His searing gaze only made her temperature rise. "Say it." It was no longer an option and was now a demand.

When he slammed his hips into hers again, Leora's hand was ripped from her mouth.

"Laxus!"

She didn't miss the guttural moan that left his lips.

She gasped when he pulled her up so she was now riding him. His lips immediately locked onto one of her red and bruised nipples, his hands never leaving its tight grip on her hips. Her vision started to blur when he hit that one spot within her, the coil continuing to build with intensity. Her claws dug deep into his shoulders in an attempt to stay upright as she lost strength in the rest of her body.

In the throes of passion, she pulled his hair back, causing him to release his mouth from her chest before crashing her lips to his, their tongues tangling together. In that moment, all she could see, all should could hear, all should feel…was him. Her senses were filled with his entire being and it engulfed her like a cloud. It was all too much. She pulled back with a gasp for air.

"Laxus," she cried as he continued to slam her hips to his. "Stop. I-I can't." The coil was winding. If he went any further, she wouldn't be able to turn back.

It was a mistake to stare into his eyes. "Leora."

She didn't know what it was. Hearing her name through his deep roughed voice, seeing his intense gaze darkened with passion or feeling the gentle caress of her tail when his hand left her hips. Whatever it was, it sent her crashing into the abyss, white hot bursts of pleasure as she cried out his name. He didn't last long afterwards, thrusting twice more before he joined her. She didn't know that her name could ever sound so sinful.

He fell backwards, and she on top of him. Both were panting heavily.

"Y-You win," Leora rasped. "N-No more."

Laxus looked down at her, lying on his chest. His eyes flashed and he growled. "Mine."

Leora shivered at his tone. "…My body is yours."

Laxus' inner dragon roared in victory. He didn't care that she only gave a part of herself to him. He would take anything he could get. He knew that eventually, he'd be able to reach her heart. All he needed was time.

He didn't know how long they laid there, but after a while, she started to stir.

Leora tried to push herself up, arms shaking like a fawn learning to walk. But they quickly gave on her and she collapsed back onto his chest.

Laxus laughed and she sent him a glare. "Where are you trying to go Sunshine?"

Leora huffed. "Thanks to you, I'm sticky and covered in dirt." She tried to get up again, but to no avail.

Laxus grinned as he sat up. Lifting her up in his arms, he got up and walked them into the hot spring. He tried to not let it show that he was just as sore as she was.

Leora let out a contented sigh when the warm waters soothed her aching body. She let herself be maneuvered around so that she sat in-between his legs as he leaned against a rock. Her tail had disappeared in a flash of lightning.

Laxus smiled when he felt her relax against him. Gently, trailed his hands against her skin, pleased that she let him wash her.

" _The second step…is grooming," Freed said._

Laxus wasn't quite sure what that entailed and neither had Freed, so he was basically running on instincts right now. Which was why he leaned forward and began to lick at the wounds that he caused.

Leora practically melted at his touch, completely content to stay where she was. The sensations he created were not sexual in nature. Instead they invoked feelings of comfort, safety and belonging. At first she didn't want to give in, but after a few minutes she let him do as he pleased. Even when he started to lick at her wounds…a very intimate gesture.

When he finished, Laxus simply…waited. But he wasn't expecting to hear her speak.

"Why me?"

He was a little thrown off by the question, since it was one he had asked himself many times before. But he had figured it out a little while ago and now he had a difficult time deciding where to start.

"Your smile."

She turned her head towards him, brows knitted together. "I don't smile."

Laxus almost laughed. "Yes you do. You just can't tell." She didn't look convinced, but she turned back around, hands in her lap.

"What else?"

Laxus rested his chin against the top of her head, catching the fresh scent of lightning mixed with the earthy smells of the hot spring. "Mmm…you never cared about what my name was or who I was connected to. You're incredibly strong, but you still accepted me as your equal. You're confident in who you are and never fail to let others know about it." He placed a small kiss on the top of her head, not missing her slight tremble. "You let me underneath your skin, and when you did I saw so many other things. Like how kind you are to the rest of the members at Fairy Tail. How attentive you are to your surroundings. How it is still possible for you to be vulnerable even when you are strong. You're beautiful and incredible. And no other woman could ever compare to you. Well, that's kinda hard since you'r-"

"T-That's enough!" Leora stammered. She could feel her body warming intensely. How could he say those things so casually like that?

Laxus chuckled as he hugged her closer. "Your heart is beating really fast Sunshine."

Leora couldn't even deny that one. She whispered. "I know…" She took a deep breath in before turning around to face him, water splashing around her as she knelt in between his legs. She stared at him with determination. "I know what you're trying to do." She knew, and for some reason she let herself be swept along with everything he was doing.

Laxus was slightly thrown aback, but he should've known that she would catch onto his intentions to court her. "And?"

"And I don't think you know what you're getting into," Leora said seriously. Courting was an ancient traditiona performed by the dragons since a long time ago. It's meaning has changed throughout time, though its serious and permanent goal remained the same…mating. She didn't think he fully understood what that meant.

"I do know. And I'm prepared to do whatever it takes."

Leora frowned. "This isn't a game."

"I'm serious."

And she could tell by the strength of his gaze that he was. "Even if you were, it doesn't mean that I will automatically accept."

Laxus smiled. "I know." He then pulled her closer. "Which leads me to my request."

Leora had almost forgot about that one. "What is it?"

"I want you to look at _me_." He held her face gently in his hands. "Not just as a human. As me, Laxus. I want you to give me that chance."

Leora paused, understanding the magnitude of his request, his…plea and what it meant to her. To only see him as Laxus…

She leaned forward towards his shoulder blade where clear bloody marks were left from her claws. She whispered gently against his skin, feeling him tense up. "Alright." And before he could say anything else, she started to tend to his wounds. There was no real term to describe this part of courting. Call it grooming, nurturing, tending, it all led to one thing. Trust. Trust between partners, allowing them to see your vulnerabilities and subsequently heal them in the process.

Laxus couldn't describe the feeling that welled up in his chest. She accepted his advance. Even though it was only a part of it, she was finally consciously thinking about him. He watched as she licked at his wounds. 'Grooming' as Freed had said, would only be deemed successful if she returned the favour. He shivered as he felt the pads of her tongue brush against the sensitive skin where her claws had previously dug into.

 _Step two...success._

His inner dragon purred in delight as she tended to him. It amazed him how fast his wounds healed and it made him happy that she chose to go through with this intimate gesture as opposed to healing him through the Bond like she always did. It only served to give him another glimmer of hope.

Leora looked up with deep golden eyes when she was finished and Laxus couldn't help but pull her into a hungry kiss. He poured out his emotions, hoping she would accept them. The longer they stayed like this, the warmer he felt. In fact, he felt a little…too warm.

He pulled back and blinked furiously when his vision started to blur.

Leora gasped when Laxus suddenly collapsed on top of her. She immediately pushed him back against the rock and noticed the flush in his cheeks and the sweat dripping from his forehead. It must have been heat exhaustion from staying by the springs for too long.

"Laxus you're an idiot…" Leora mumbled to herself as she quickly picked him up and carried him back towards the tent. Luckily, the strength in her legs had returned just in time. Lying him down, she quickly patted him dry with his towel. But she grew worried when he continued to sweat. Quickly leaving the tent she flew out to find the nearest stream and dived down to grab some water in the bottle she carried out with her. Returning swiftly, she cradled his head in her lap before she gently opened his mouth and poured fresh, cold water into his lips. She wet his towel with the water and placed it gently against his forehead.

She waited for a few tense minutes before he finally came to.

Leora let out a sigh of relief, before scolding him. "You, are an idiot."

He looked up at her with heavy-lidded eyes. "What happened?"

"Heat exhaustion. You stayed in the springs for too long."

"Oh."

Leora frowned. "That's all you have to say?"

Laxus smiled, though it was a lazy one. "You worried about me Sunshine?"

"No. Just didn't want you dying. That would be inconvenient."

Laxus chuckled. "It's not good to lie you know."

Leora huffed before sliding his head back onto the ground. She got up to leave, but a hand shot out and gripped her ankle.

"Stay," Laxus commanded.

Leora looked down at him. "You just passed out from heat exhaustion. If I stay in this tiny tent of yours, you'll only get hotter."

He shot her a leery grin. "I know. But I don't care." He tugged on her ankle again.

Leora sighed. Why was he acting like such a child? "Fine." She laid down next to him and yelped when he enveloped her in his arms. "Laxus. Did you listen to a thing I said?"

"Don't get hot. I'll try, but it'll be hard," Laxus mumbled.

Leora frowned, but let him stay as is. She watched as he slowly drifted into sleep, his breath evening and his heart slowing into a gentle beat. Letting out a half smile, she closed her eyes and snuggled against him before succumbing to sleep.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Yaa I realized its been a month, but its been endless studying and major writer's block with this one. Wasn't sure how to properly move forward with it. I've re-written this a million times and its just time to get this out there. I'm writing my exam in two weeks so hopefully it'll be better after then. Thanks for sticking with me :D**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	28. Arc III-28: Misunderstandings

**Chapter 28**

Laxus woke up to warmth, draped over the right side of his body. Letting a small smile creep onto his face, he moved his free hand to gently brush through the long silky hair that fanned over his chest. Leora stirred slightly, but to his delight, she snuggled further into his embrace, perhaps to siphon off some of his body heat.

A part of him wished that they could stay like this for longer. Even though they were currently lying in the middle of a flimsy tent, with fall's chill making its way through the fabric, he wouldn't exchange this for anything. He knew he still had a long way to go with the dragoness, given that she had only opened up to the possibility of acknowledging him just the night before. But it was a large step that he decided to claim victory for. Even if she rejected him later on, at least he had tried.

Though he was hard pressed on making her accept him.

It surprised him how much he was willing to go for Leora. But he knew she was different. And deep down, he knew that she felt at least something for him. And right now that was enough for him to hold onto.

Leora stirred again, beginning to wake from slumber, and Laxus felt her stiffen. But to his pleasure, she relaxed into his hold moments later. That was progress. At least she wasn't leaping away from him like she did the other time.

With a tiny sniff, Leora lifted her head to face him. A part of Laxus wondered how it was possible that she could still look beautiful despite her hair looking like a rat's nest and a small trail of drool down the side of her face. Maybe it was clouded look in her eyes when she looked at him. Or maybe he was just going crazy.

He just hoped that today will go just as well as the previous.

* * *

Leora had her suspicions the day before, since it had taken them half the day just to locate a little over a dozen trolls, but they were confirmed after it took only half an hour to find the main troll's nest hidden in a cavern in the mountains.

Whipping around to the dragon slayer who appeared oblivious to her annoyed composure, Leora growled. "You got us lost yesterday on purpose!" One of the trolls jumped out to attack them, but it only took a flare of her lightning to fry it.

Laxus didn't bat an eye as he punched another troll with a lightning fist. "I have no idea what you're talking about Sunshine."

Leora was about to retort when a loud roar echoed through the cavern. The ground shook as a large cave troll, perhaps the clan leader, stomped in, towering over thirty feet tall. She took a step towards it, about to attack, but suddenly Laxus' body was blocking hers.

"Stand back, I got this." The words were blurted out of Laxus' mouth before he could take it back. A small part of his brain lit up in slight warning at both his words and actions. But a larger part of him was only thinking of-

" _The third step to courting is…protection," Freed announced._

Laxus knew it wasn't a good idea. But his brain was so hyped up on his previous success that it wasn't exactly thinking properly anymore. But instant regret filled his gut the moment those words left his mouth.

" _Excuse_ me?"

Laxus turned around, even though the cave troll was still behind him, because he knew that the dragoness was a much bigger threat to his life now than that monstrosity could ever be. He took a step back, because he didn't need their Bond to know that she was absolutely furious. Sparks swirled around her like a lightning storm, heightening the charges in the air. Her eyes, a normal gold, tinged dark.

"W-Wait, that wasn't what I meant-"

"Oh. I know what you meant," Leora snarled, her voice having lowered an octave. She advanced, and the pair ignored their external threat. Mainly because it wasn't such anymore. "You don't think I know all the steps to the ritual?" One of her strides released an enormous shockwave of lightning, illuminating the entire cave in a bright ball of light.

"I didn't train and grow my power for centuries just so someone can stand in front of me like a shield!" When it subsided only the sound of a crisp sizzle could be heard left behind from the trolls surrounding them. If Laxus wasn't a lightning dragon slayer, he knew he would've perished alongside him.

"I don't want a mate that will push me aside to protect me," Leora growled, her face mere inches from Laxus'. The leader of the cave trolls let out one last groan, but Leora didn't even turn her head towards it. A bolt of lightning burst out of her outstretched hand, finishing the job with a bright flare and a loud roar of pain.

Leora's other hand fisted into Laxus' shirt. "I want a mate who will stand by my side and give me strength." Letting out a huff, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the cave. She didn't care if she'd get lost without Laxus. She'd simply carve her own way out of the mountain if she'd need to.

Laxus stood there, completely stunned. He screwed up. Big time.

 _Step three…Absolute fail._

He should've known. Hell, just last night he was praising her for her strength. Why the hell did he think it was alright to simply sweep her aside? He had always fought by her side, even if he was worried for her safety. He groaned, the sound echoing through the silent cavern. He ran out to find her, hoping he'd make it in time to do some damage control. Thankfully he had Leora-sized holes in the walls to follow. He wondered how the mountain stayed stable, given she had practically blasted a straight tunnel through it. Boy was he a dead man.

"Leora wait!" Laxus shouted as soon as he made it outside. He held a hand out to shield his eyes from the sudden light.

Leora didn't listen and kept walking. Laxus ran to catch up, managing to grab a hold of her wrist. For a dragon who hated to run, she sure was walking at a near running speed. Leora stopped abruptly, and he almost stumbled into her. "What."

Laxus gulped. Now that he caught up he wasn't quite sure what to say. "Look…I'm sorry." He ran a hand through his hair, nervous. "I got a little caught up in everything."

She turned her head around with a sharp glare. "A little?" A few stray sparks still danced around her body.

"Okay, a lot." Laxus groaned. "Look, I'm really terrible at this apologizing business. I was an idiot today I know. But honestly, I do want to be there to protect you. I'm not just going to let you run into things on your own. You know how reckless you can be."

"I'm not!"

Laxus raised a brow.

Leora turned around to face him, her wrist still caught in his hand. "Fine. Slightly. But that doesn't give you the right to push me aside." She placed her free hand on his chest. "I want a sword, not a shield."

Laxus sighed. "I know. I promise I won't do that again. Alright?"

Leora took in a large breath before exhaling. "Fine…" She realized that she was probably overreacting slightly. But after centuries of training just to be stronger, it hit a nerve whenever someone would think that she wasn't strong enough. Especially when it came from Laxus.

And the last time someone was her shield, he died.

Laxus tried to pull her in closer, but she remained firm.

Leora glared at him suspiciously. "Don't get me wrong. I'm still angry with you."

Laxus decided that if she wouldn't come to him then he'd go to her. Swooping down, he pushed forward for a quick kiss. Leora's eyes widened, but she pushed him away moments later. "You should know better than to think that you can solve this with a kiss." Leora turned around, but Laxus caught the small tinge of red on her cheeks.

Laxus chuckled, knowing he was forgiven…for now. "Yes, yes, Sunshine, of course."

Leora let out a short huff before pulling her hand back and continuing to walk.

"Where are you going?" Laxus asked.

"To obtain our award. You haven't forgotten the real reason why we're here have you?"

Laxus smirked as he tailed after her. No. No, he hasn't.

But now he had to get back on her good side.

* * *

The mayor of the town was delighted to hear that the cave trolls have been eliminated, but less than thrilled that there were now some extra unwanted tunnels in their mine. Tunnels that required most of their reward to fix. Though it didn't really matter to Laxus. The reward wasn't what he brought her out here for anyways.

And they both knew that by now.

After they had packed up their things from the campsite, Laxus walked over to Leora, who was staring off into the distance. "What's wrong Sunshine?"

Leora shook her head. "Nothing. It's just, this village is near the border of my lands. I was just thinking of heading back to my castle to make sure things are still in order."

Laxus nodded. "Go ahead. I'll return to the guild to report our job." He figured she'd probably want some time to herself anyways, with the mess he made of this morning. He turned to head back towards the train station, but paused when he felt a hand on his wrist.

"Want to join me?"

Laxus tried to keep the growing smile off his face. He failed. "Did you even need to ask?"

Leora scoffed before stepping away to transform into her dragon form, feeling her bones snap and scales emerge. She was delightfully pleased to find that she was almost able to return to her original size. Everything else aside, their Bond had grown substantially.

It never failed to impress Laxus each time Leora transformed. He walked up to her, running a hand along her amber coloured scales. He felt them tremble underneath his touch before he climbed on.

"Hold on."

And with a flap of her wings, they took to the skies.

Laxus had never been one for flight, due to his obvious issues with transportation. But flying on Leora's back, soaring through the sky at insane speeds, he was starting to understand the appeal. It was refreshing, feeling the wind against his face and the clouds racing below them. Their Bond was closed, but even then he could tell that Leora was enjoying this as well.

It didn't take them long to break out of the clouds, and when they did, Laxus was in awe. There, resting alongside a large mountain overlooking a beautiful green valley, was an enormous castle. It was made of stone and covered in thick vines, which only added to its timeless appeal. It was obvious that parts of the castle had succumbed to time's decay, but apart from that, it was breathtaking.

After landing near the entrance with a rush of wind, Laxus hopped down from Leora's back. He turned to her just as she returned to her human form. "It's beautiful."

Leora's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "It _was_ beautiful."

"It still is."

Leora turned to him with lips slightly parted in pleasant shock. They pulled upwards into a brighter smile before she beckoned him to follow her inside. Stone doors, towering several hundred feet high, groaned as they parted with her touch.

Laxus stifled a cough in his sleeve as they ventured inside. Dust and dirt lined the aged halls, and aside from the occasional wildlife, it was obvious that no one had lived here in a long time. He watched Leora carefully, catching her eyes lingering over certain scratches or marks in the walls and pillars.

"It's a very…human castle," Laxus noted. It was true. Certain styles seemed quite familiar to ancient human architecture. He never expected something like this to be a dragon's castle. He was expecting more on the likes of her den, like the one on Tenroujima.

Leora laughed. "My father hid us here during the war. Surrounded us with humans, though he hated them himself." Her fingertips brushed across a dusty cabinet. "What better way than to hide where you least expect us to be?"

Laxus had to ask. "Us?"

Leora frowned. "Me…and my mother."

Laxus wasn't sure whether to pry. He remembered that her mother was a sore subject for her, and he didn't want to provoke any unwanted feelings when she was already reminiscing about her past. So he kept his mouth shut. And as a reward, Leora started telling him about all the adventures she's had in these halls. How the scorch mark in the great hall was due to her loss in control of her powers when she was just a young hatchling. How the rifts in the courtyard originated from her training lessons with her father.

But there were also sections of the castle that were in ruins. He didn't risk asking about this, nor about the large scars in the dirt and stone that were overgrown with foliage. He didn't need to ask to know who created those.

It was subtle at first, but Laxus noticed that the further they ventured in, the more…tense Leora became. He caught her nose twitching on multiple occasions, but before he could ask she stiffened entirely, then proceeded to stalk down one particular hallway.

"Sunshine?" Laxus inquired, but he received no answer. He followed until they reached two large doors made of a dark polished wood. By this point, Leora's face was a mixture of annoyance and anger. Then he caught it. The scent that forced all his instincts on overdrive.

Leora threw the large stone doors open with strength only she would have.

Laxus' growl reverberated throughout the room before he even caught sight of the black and emerald dragon curled in the middle. Though room was an understatement, as its size rivaled that of one of the halls they frequented just before. Tall, floor to ceiling windows filled one end of the room, while the others were made of the same polished stone as the rest of the castle. The room was filled with jewels and trinkets with an enormous four poster bed on one end and a pile of furs right in the middle. Exactly where the dreaded dragon lay. Laxus' eyes narrowed as his inner dragon threatened to surface.

What was _he_ doing here?!

But before he could burst forward and attack, a firm hand pressed against his abdomen, causing him to pause. It was hard, but Laxus tried not to interfere, keeping his promise to the dragoness. Leora moved forward, walking towards the sleeping dragon. Without warning, she punched the dragon straight in the nose with a spark covered fist.

A single emerald eye flickered open, it's dark slitted pupil adjusting to the dim lightning in the room. Enormous sharp fangs, almost the height of Leora's human form, revealed themselves as the dragon yawned. Rhaegal snorted, twitching his nose. "What?"

Leora growled. "What are you doing here?"

Rhaegal blinked slow, though his eyes shot open the moment he saw Laxus standing behind her. "What is _he_ doing here?" He started to rise, his head lifting from his ground.

"I brought him here."

"To your den?!" Rhaegal exclaimed.

"Yes," Leora said. "But, better yet, what are you doing in my room?!"

Laxus blanked. Her room? This was her room? What was _he_ doing here in her room?! Laxus' inner dragon bristled with growing anger.

"Waiting for you to come to your senses," Rhaegal yawned again, before transforming into his human form. Loose black locks framed his sharp face, contrasting sharply with bright, emerald-green eyes.

Leora frowned. As annoyed as she was, she caught the deeper meaning of the first part of his phrase. ' _Waiting for you'_.

Finally catching on to Laxus' distress, Leora grabbed his arm before he could do something hasty. Even with their Bond closed, she could feel small tendrils of his anger seeping through. That wasn't a good sign. "Laxus calm down."

Laxus saw red. "Calm down? Did you forget what he did to you the last time you met?!" Because both he and his inner dragon did not. He didn't know which image was worse. The one of his teeth sunken deep into the flesh of her neck. Or the one of his lips pressed against hers.

At that comment, Rhaegal leaned forward, as if inspecting her neck. Laxus pulled her back against him. Leora sent him a glare, but at this moment he was too infuriated to acknowledge it. Rhaegal frowned. "A pity…it's gone."

Laxus sent him a smug grin. "Disappeared in less than a week."

But Rhaegal didn't take the bait. "No worries. I can change that." Laxus didn't know what he meant by that. And he didn't want to know.

Laxus growled. "Not on my watch." Sparks started to gather around his body. Rhaegal stepped forward-

"Enough!" Leora shouted. She shoved herself in between the two. She faced Rhaegal and upon seeing his face closer up, she noticed the light red tinge gracing his cheeks. Then she noticed the dark circles underneath his eyes and the small beads of sweat gracing his forehead. Leora frowned and grabbed Rhaegal's collar, pulling him to face level – much to Laxus' protest. Taking a closer look and pressing her forehead to his, Leora pulled back with a sigh.

"You're sick." That was why he was here. Over the years, she used to bring Rhaegal here whenever he was sick, since it was easier to take care of him in the castle than out in the wilderness. He must have instinctively come here...and waited for her.

"It's nothing," Rhaegal said, trying to keep up his image.

Leora paused for a second, wondering what she should do. The two around her definitely weren't helping with their male-driven glaring match. All she knew was that she had to separate them before they destroyed her castle.

Pushing the two further apart, Leora directed Rhaegal towards the bed at the side of the room. "You. Sleep."

"But-" Rhaegal protested. Leora's glare shut him up in a second. Rhaegal grumbled as he went back to the bed, but not before shooting Laxus a glare. Leora turned around.

"Where are you going?" Rhaegal asked.

"To check up on matters like I planned to do," Leora said. "I'll be back." She turned back towards the entrance of her room, making sure to grab Laxus on the way. She was pleasantly surprised that he didn't protest.

Though she knew it was short lived. A split second after they had left the room, he had her pressed against the wall.

"You're seriously going to let him stay?" Laxus snarled. She could see the anger simmering in his eyes.

Leora sighed. "It'll be fine." _I think._ She caught Laxus' gaze flickering back to the doors of her room and grabbed his hand before he could head back in. "Come on. I have something to show you." Hopefully that will get his mind off of the dragon now resting in her chambers. She started down the hall, dragging the reluctant dragon slayer with her.

Laxus was torn. On one hand he wanted to turn back around and tear into the dragon that almost killed him just months prior. But on the other hand, well technically it was holding onto hers. It annoyed him how much the small gesture affected him. It wasn't like he was one for affection in the first place. He wasn't. But considering how he was on such unsteady ground with her, it was nice to have something remotely symbolic to him. Even though it was something as simple as holding hands.

She probably didn't even understand its human significance.

Despite that, Laxus allowed himself to be dragged through the castle halls until they reached an area that was much older. The stone walls had obvious signs of aging. Leora stopped in front of two enormous stone doors, towering at least several hundred feet above them. She turned to him.

"Open it."

Laxus looked at her as if she was crazy. Those doors were massive.

"Humour me," Leora said, letting go of his hand.

"...Fine." Laxus exhaled as he walked up to the doors. He placed his palms against the stone, feeling the cool hard surface against his skin. Gathering as much strength as he could, he pushed.

It was with vague curiosity that Leora asked Laxus to try. It was something akin to a test. She wouldn't be surprised if he failed to-

Her eyes widened when the doors began to groan and shift. Amazement filled her veins. Those doors were only meant to be opened by those who possessed the strength of a dragon.

Laxus turned to her, flashing her a smug grin. Leora rolled her eyes before strolling in with Laxus following a step behind.

Laxus was thrown a little aback by the sudden change in atmosphere. Around him it was no longer stone. Instead they seemed to have ventured into a cave. Small torches lit with soft flames lined the walls. The earthy air grew damp as they walked further in. "What is this?"

"My father's den," Leora said. Her hand moved to grasp his again. "Come, I want to show you something." She pulled him along, passing by random artifacts, fancy jewels and outright gold. Laxus would be lying if he said his eyes weren't bugging out at all the riches before him.

But then they entered into a small room. Inside stood a single pedestal. It looked to be made to hold something small and spherical. But it was empty.

"What is this?" Laxus asked.

Leora let out a wistful smile. "It used to hold something important." She turned to him. "A dragon's lacrima."

Laxus looked to her, slight panic entering eyes. He never truly asked if she minded that her father's lacrima rested inside of him.

Leora shook her head, her hand lifting to affectionately brush the scar over his right eye. "It's in a better place." She had predicted his reaction.

Laxus visibly relaxed, his shoulders losing their tension.

"I protected it for centuries, and somehow it ended up with you…" Leora mused.

 _Perhaps it's fate_. Laxus thought, but that notion was ridiculous.

Leora moved on, leaving the small room behind them and heading further into the den. More golden trinkets and goblets were littered along the ground.

Laxus couldn't help but ask. "Is this all of your stuff?"

Leora laughed. "No. I've moved most of my hoard to Tenroujima."

"Your father sure liked gold," Laxus deduced.

"I did too at one point," Leora said. Her hand lifted to absentmindedly touch the necklace around her neck. "Not too sure when that changed."

Laxus smiled, his eyes landing on the gleaming amber resting just above her chest. It always filled him with warmth whenever she wore his gift.

When they reached the end of the den, all Laxus could do was stand in awe. Jaw dropped and eyes wide his head tilted back as he gazed upon the largest set of dragon bones he's ever seen. Though then again, it was the only set of dragon bones he's ever seen.

"Is that-"

"Hello father," Leora started. She pulled him over to stand next to her. She faced the large set of bones and a gentle smile graced her features. "It's been a while."

Laxus was still slightly dazed so he didn't even protest when a strong hand on his head forced him to bow. His back lifting slowly, his eyes focused on the large skull right in front of him. Large hollow eyes stared straight back at him, as if studying him closely. It unnerved him, even though he knew that the ancient dragon was long dead.

Leora walked over to the skull, before gently dropping to her knees. Her hands embraced the bone and she touched her forehead right by the dragon's snout. "I've missed you."

"After the war, we retrieved his body and placed him here. Our home," Leora said. She stood and walked back over to where he was standing. "You have no idea how much I miss him." Leora sighed and Laxus felt the sadness seep underneath his own skin. "It's been so long since I've heard his voice."

"You know, it could possible to hear him once again," Laxus mused as a thought entered his mind.

Leora whipped around, "What do you mean?"

"You don't remember? Back during the Grand Magic Games with the jade dragon, Zirconis," Laxus said. "Maybe if we brought Wendy here she might be able to hear his soul." Laxus choked up slightly when he saw the pure hope that shone in her eyes. It made them twinkle even in the dim lighting of the cave.

"Can we?" Leora whispered.

Laxus coughed slightly, not used to having her full attention like that. "Y-Ya. I can probably talk to Wendy when we get back and-" He froze when he felt her barrel into him for a hug, her arms tight around him. He looked down, staring blissfully at the top of her head.

 _She's never done that before._

Laxus' eyes shot wide open when she suddenly burst upwards, pressing her lips to his. He stiffened, unsure of what to do. His heart beat erratically, and his fingers twitched as if they didn't know where to go.

 _She's definitely never done that before._

She seemed to realize the same thing, since a split second later, she pulled back, eyes full of shock just as he was sure his were. A small blush began to spread across her cheeks. He desperately wanted to pull her back in for another one, but this time he remained patient. He wanted her to come to him. To let her make her own decisions.

Leora wasn't sure what came over her. One second she was filled with light melancholy as she always was whenever she visited her father. But with a few words from Laxus, her entire mood shifted. Her heart filled with hope to the point that it ached. She was so elated at the possibility of talking to her father again that she just…burst. She acted on instinct…no not instinct per se. It was more just something she wanted to do from the bottom of her heart, and it ended up like…that. Her face filled with heat the more she thought about it.

"Thank you," she breathed, her chest exhaling. Her eyes softened. Her heart was beating a mile a minute at their proximity, and a part of her wanted to pull away, simply because it would've been the natural thing to do. But for some reason, she didn't want to leave his warmth.

Laxus stumbled over his words, "W-Well there's really nothing to thank me for, I mean I'm just talking to Wendy…"

Leora had promised him that she'd consider him seriously. As not only a human, but as...Laxus. At this moment she still didn't know what that meant, but there was one thing that she knew she wanted to do.

"…She's going to be the one doing all the work, I'm just the middle man. Hell – what is wrong with me?"

She felt her eyes flickering, and her hands brushing against his shirt as they lifted. She shifted onto her toes, pushing her within slivers of her goal.

"You know what we should just go, I mean there must be other things you need to check up-"

"Shut up," Leora demanded, before her eyes closed, and her hands pulled his face down to close the distance between them. This time she didn't pull back, cherishing the soft press of his lips against hers. She felt his whole body stiffen for a second, but then he responded. His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her flush against him. His head twisted, molding his lips to hers.

Their kiss remained soft, unlike any they've shared before. It wasn't rough or demanding. There was no desperate need or animalistic desire driving them to a frenzy. No this kiss was gentle and slow. There was a subtle pull against her bottom lip and she parted her lips. Their tongues gently intertwined, before she felt him push in to explore. Her hands slipped back to entangle themselves in his hair.

She let out a soft sigh, pressing herself further into him. She suppressed the whine that bubbled in the back of her throat when he pulled back for air. Her eyes flickered open and they met his, a heavy blue. For a moment they merely stood still, as if they were unsure as to what to do next. But then in her peripherals, Leora finally remembered where they were.

Slight horror filled her veins and she stepped back.

"What's wrong?" Laxus asked, still breathless.

Leora's eyes flickered backed to her father's bones. Laxus followed her line of sight and to her surprise he started laughing. She scowled, but allowed him to pull her back into his embrace. She looked up, seeing amusement flash in his eyes.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind Sunshine," Laxus said, flashing her a grin.

Leora buried her head into his chest to hide her embarrassment. "This was so inappropriate." In front of her father's bones?! She didn't even want to imagine what he'd say.

It appeared as though Laxus thought the same. "I wonder what your father would do…"

Leora snorted. "You want the truth?" She pulled her head back. "He'd probably devour you." She laughed at the grimace that then graced his features. "You forget that my father fought on the other side of the war. He hated humans."

Laxus frowned. Even though the dragon was dead, it bothered him that he never would've approved of him. Well, then again, no dragon would approve of him. He was human. But he told himself that he wasn't going to mull over that anymore. He decided to 'lighten' the mood a little more. "Well I guess I'll have to prove him wrong."

He leaned down, flickering his tongue against the outer shell of her ear before taking a small nip of the flesh. He felt her entire body jump. She writhed against his body trying to run, but he made no move to let her go.

"Laxus s-stop," Leora whispered as she tried to twist away. But his arms kept her crushed against him, and she remained helpless. Each pass of his tongue sent a soft roll of heat throughout her body. "Laxus!"

She both heard and felt his chuckle. He had no intention of stopping.

"N-Not here," Leora breathed. Her eyes kept darting to her father's bones. It was so wrong to do it here. She jumped again when he nipped at her ear and let out a breath when he pulled back.

"Fine," Laxus replied with a heavy voice. He quickly grabbed her wrist and started dragging her out. "Hurry up then."

Leora kept the smile off her face as they quickly headed out of the den.

But the heat quickly dispersed the moment they stood in front of her room, remembering just who it was that was inside.

Laxus growled, more in annoyance than in threat. "Damn that-"

Leora shot him a look. "He's ill." She pulled her hands away from his and headed down the hallway. "Stay here. I'll be back."

Laxus grumbled the entire time, but she came back after a few minutes carrying some water and towels. Laxus frowned. "How come you've never done this for me?"

Leora raised a brow in his direction. "Do you think Freed would ever let anyone but himself take care of you if you became ill?"

"…I hate how right you are," Laxus muttered.

Leora laughed before she pushed open the doors. Like instructed, Rhaegal stayed on her bed in the corner of her room, still in his human form. It bothered her that he deemed the covers necessary. She frowned when she noticed the small beads of sweat on his forehead. Placing the bucket of water by her feet, she dipped the towel in before ringing it out and placing it on Rhaegal's forehead.

"Stop being jealous," Leora said, without even turning around.

"I'm not," Laxus replied, though that was a total lie. After the moment they just had in the den, it hurt to see her so affectionate with someone else. Even if it was someone who she only saw as family. It was an excruciatingly long five minutes for the lightning dragon slayer, but eventually Leora was done. But to his utter dismay, the moment she turned to leave, Rhaegal caught her by the wrist.

"Stay."

Leora sighed, her eyes drifting between the window and Laxus. It was already heading late into the night so she knew they would've had to stay. The question was now, where? Judging by the glare she was receiving from the Laxus, he didn't approve of what she was thinking of.

When did she start caring about what he thought?

"No," Laxus demanded.

"It's just one night." Leora failed to understand the problem. It wasn't like she hadn't done this before. She's travelled with Rhaegal and Zeref for decades, sleeping underneath the stars. This wasn't much different.

"Fine," Laxus agreed through gritted teeth. "But I'm staying too." He slipped himself underneath the covers right after her, ignoring the growls sent his way from the raven haired dragon.

Acting like a child, Rhaegal pulled Leora towards him, her back facing his chest. She didn't exactly mind, dragons often craved familial comfort. But it didn't quite feel the same as when it was Laxus behind her. She pressed her eyes shut, trying to rid herself of those thoughts.

"This is ridiculous," Leora muttered underneath her breath. Laxus said nothing, but she could feel his eyes directed at her.

Leora tried to stay silent and attempt to fall asleep, but after a while she couldn't take his constant staring. She opened her eyes and saw the malcontent in his. She spoke out to Laxus through the Bond.

 _Stop_ _pouting._

Laxus scoffed. _I am not_.

Leora rolled her eyes. _So that small pull at the outer edge of your lips is not a frown._

 _How flattering that you are staring at my lips Sunshine. Did you want another go at them?_ Laxus' frown had curled upwards into an arrogant smirk. But with a shuffle from Rhaegal, causing his arms to tighen around her, Laxus' lips tightened into a flat line once again.

Leora realized that she didn't quite like seeing Laxus upset like this. It bothered her. A lot. Her hand subconsciously reached forward. Laxus quickly grabbed it and she could tell that he wanted to pull her towards him. But since he couldn't do that, he settled for resting her palm against his beating heart. It was surprising how that one connection between them could ease the tension in her shoulders.

Leora would be lying to say that she wasn't content in this situation. She knew that the other two wouldn't be, but right now she was with two of her most treasured people. It was like they were…family. And it felt right.

* * *

The next morning, the two men woke up feeling an empty presence by their side. When the reached out absentmindedly to find Leora, it took them a full second to realize that the hand that they touched didn't belong to the golden haired dragoness.

They sprang back so far that they almost tumbled off the bed. Instantly awake, the two growled at each other, on the verge of ripping each other's heads off.

A sigh reached them from the door way. "I knew it was a bad idea to leave you two alone." Leora walked into the room. Pressing a hand to Rhaegal's forehead, Leora was pleased when the fever she detected from last night had disappeared.

"I will be handling matters and paperwork in my office," Leora announced. "I am not to be disturbed." Her eyes narrowed. "If one of you are dead by the time I come back, I'll make sure to finish the job for the other one. Understood?"

The two still on the bed shivered at the cold glare and threatening tone from the dragoness. Both gave her nervous nods.

"Good," Leora said before turning on her heel and heading out. She figured her matters would take the majority of the day. She prayed they wouldn't kill each other.

Laxus and Rhaegal looked at one another.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

It had taken Laxus all but a minute after Leora left to be done with the dragon's presence. Heading out of the room, he allowed himself to wander, perusing the halls and corridors of the castle. It really was a beautiful sight. Some of the vines have made their way inside, snaking up the stone pillars. Many rooms were still intact, though the colours have long faded from the fabric that lay inside. He found remnants of everyday items, including worn out combs and brushes as well as accessories that looked to belong to servants.

He wondered what Leora's life was like when she lived here. He also wondered what she would be like if Acnologia had never attacked her castle. He figured they'd never meet. Or they would've met as pure enemies.

That was a thought that sent a shiver up his spine.

At one point in the mid evening, Laxus found himself staring at a lone set of doors. It was similar to the ones that lead to Leora's room, except this one felt…much darker. Something invisible radiated out from the doors and made every one of his senses flare up in defense. It felt wrong.

"Aren't you curious as to what's inside?"

Laxus' head whipped to his right, seeing Rhaegal leaning against the wall. Laxus had been so entranced by the door that he hadn't even sensed the man's presence. A frown was already tugging at his lips.

"You know?" Laxus asked, his attention returning to the door in front of him. As much as he wanted to rip the dragon apart, another part of him was genuinely curious as to what was behind these doors. And why it was here in Leora's castle.

"Not exactly," Rhaegal said as he stepped closer. "But knowing _her,_ I have a pretty good idea."

It irked Laxus that the dragon would know something about Leora that he didn't. Curiosity driving his actions, Laxus reached towards a handle.

His hand recoiled immediately in pain as though the door had burned him.

Rhaegal snorted. "You didn't expect to be able to open it did you?"

Laxus glared at the man. "And you could?"

"No," Rhaegal replied. "And I wouldn't want to." He stared at the door. "You can feel it can't you? That negative energy." He turned away and headed back down the hallway. He looked back over his shoulders. "I wonder why that is."

Laxus glanced at Rhaegal's retreating back before looking down at his hand. It still pulsed with slight pain. The dragon was right. Whatever it was behind those doors…

…felt demonic.

* * *

Evening soon fell into night. Leora had finished her business, but once again she decided to stay for another night. Which led them to repeat the same arrangement from before.

Leora stared up at the ceiling as she laid there between the two men. The room was quiet, aside from the light snoring beside her. She sighed inwardly. She didn't know why but tonight her body felt warmer than usual. And lethargic. Her eyelids were heavy, but no matter how hard she tried, sleep wouldn't come to her.

Perhaps some fresh air would help.

Untangling herself from the mess of limbs around her, she quietly made her way out of the room. She walked out of the castle and into the valley below, feeling the cool grass underneath her bare feet as she strolled. She breathed in the floral scent from the lilies that were scattered across the field. The moon was full this evening, casting an eerie light around her.

"What are you doing out here?"

Leora turned around slowly, still feeling the heavy fog inside her head. Rhaegal stood behind her, his raven hair glowing in the night. He had a small frown on his face, but it was broken by his yawn a few seconds later.

"I'm just out for some air," she told him.

Rhaegal must have sensed something wrong. He walked closer to her, grabbing her shoulders to keep her still. He rested his forehead against hers and pulled back sharply a few seconds later. He growled low. "You're heating up."

Leora leaned back. "What are you talking about?" She swayed slightly, but Rhaegal kept her still.

"You're sick." Rhaegal gripped her shoulders so tight it was bordering on pain. "You _never_ get sick Lea."

She didn't even have the energy to scold him for getting her name wrong. "I'm fine." She loosened herself from his grip and stepped back.

"Something's wrong…" Rhaegal whispered and she could hear the slight fear in his voice. She caught his eyes drifting towards her neck. "I can fix it."

"There's nothing wrong," Leora reassured, backing up again. She had a bad feeling about this. "I said I'm fine." Dragon's never get sick. That's a given.

"No you're not!" Rhaegal raised his voice. He stepped towards her, but she continued to step back. "Why won't you let me help you?" She felt his gaze on her neck once again, and she backed up another step.

"I don't need your help."

Rhaegal growled. "I told you I wouldn't give up." Darkness swirled around his body. "This is for your own good."

Leora stood her ground, taking his challenge. She wasn't surprised that he would try and force the mark on her again. Last time she was still weak from her battle against Zirconis and unable to defend herself. This time she wouldn't make that mistake again.

She felt the scales creeping up her skin just as Rhaegal transformed himself.

* * *

Laxus had woken up to the sound of whirling winds and thunder roaring outside. Immediately springing to his feet, he ran outside to where the commotion was. He made it to the valley just in time to see two dragons, one black and one gold, take flight.

He gasped in horror as the two practically ripped at each other. He didn't know exactly what was happening. Laxus was helpless on the ground as the pair tore into other in the air. Claws and fangs were bared. It was unlike the fight they had in the stadium back during the Grand Magic Games. No this fight was much more…aggressive.

What was going on?

It was like this was a fight for...dominance.

Then it hit him. Freed had mentioned it to him before this whole excursion had began. About how there were technically two ways to go about marking a dragon. One was to court her, to gain her trust and acceptance before she allowed you to mark her. The other was to use pure strength to cause her to submit and force the mark. Mark her enough times and eventually her body would adapt.

Laxus had told himself that he would _never_ force the mark on her.

But right now, that was what Rhaegal was attempting to do.

Laxus looked to the sky as the two dragons clashed. Leora's claws had dug into Rhaegal's hide as she fought off his jaws. It was hard to watch. There was no magic used in this fight. It was a pure physical brawl. Laxus could feel her pain through the Bond. She was losing.

He couldn't let her do this alone. But he could tell that this was something that he couldn't shield her against.

" _I don't want a mate that will simply protect me. I want a mate that will stand by my side and give me strength."_

Give her strength...

Laxus' eyes widened as he figured out the solution. Reaching for the Bond, he waited for Leora to respond, to open herself up to him. It had been a while since he had done this, a long while. For a second he thought she wasn't going to do it, opting to face this challenge on her own. But to his relief, she opened her end of the Bond, her emotions flowing through.

He froze when he felt that miniscule spark of fear in her veins.

Laxus dropped to his knees, and recited the words that were ingrained inside his head.

 _I call to the light and the skies as the Knight of the Great Thunder Dragon._

He felt her surprise flowing through as arcs of lightning danced around her body. He focused all his power through the Bond, hoping that it would reach her.

 _In her time of need, I call to release the might of my Dragon._

Months ago, this spell had caused the chains that bound her powers to release. But this time, it was different. The chains were no longer present; their Bond had already strengthened beyond that point. Instead, the spell pushed her past the limits of her true form. To a realm that she had never experienced before.

 _RELEASE!_

Leora inhaled sharply when she felt the burst of power flow through her veins. She felt her muscles strengthen, her lungs expand. and her claws to sharpen. Her vision enhanced, and her hearing grew sharp. The heavy haze in her mind had completely cleared.

Pushing back against Rhaegal, Leora was surprised at the strength she now felt. It was intoxicating. Fangs digging into Rhaegal's hide, she pushed him back. The tables have turned. Leora went on the offense, her tail swing around to slam into Rhaegal's body, sending him straight to the ground.

The earth shook upon impact.

Leora dived down from the sky and before Rhaegal could return to his feet, she crashed straight into his body. When the dust settled, Leora's large clawed hand was pressed against Rhaegal's throat, a sharp yellow contrasting against black and emerald scales.

The sharp look in her eyes spoke for her. _Give up._

Rhaegal's eyes still held a spark of fire, but it was quickly snuffled by another growl from her. His head tilted, exposing his neck towards her in submission. He had lost.

Leora's roar echoed throughout the valley, shaking the trees in its intensity. For a long minute, all stayed still, with only the small gusts of wind blowing through making the long grass rustle.

Laxus watched as Leora stepped back before slowly transforming back into her human form. She was covered in blood with large gashes along her shoulder. But when she turned to him, all he could see was her bright beaming grin. He could feel her burst of happiness mixed with pride.

This time he didn't protect her. Instead, he used his power to drive her to strengths beyond both their capabilities. This was what he was truly meant to do.

And this time, he was rewarded with her beautiful smile.

 _Step three…Success._

A few seconds later, Rhaegal returned to his human form. He was kneeling on the ground, his head hung as his body trembled. He looked utterly defeated.

Leora frowned and headed over towards Rhaegal. She dropped to her knees and gently lifted his face. She spoke loud enough for all of them to hear, but her voice still retained a soft edge, like a mother reassuring a child. "I'm not going anywhere. Not now, not ever."Laxus caught the meaning loud and clear. It was something that he always dreaded, but he knew he wouldn't be able to change a thing. No matter what happened, those two were essentially a package deal. He had to accept that, if he ever wanted to be with her.

Rhaegal turned away from Leora's gaze. Her eyes then drifted towards the large gash she had left on his shoulder.

Laxus froze the moment she leaned down to lick at the wound. His blood chilled. What was she doing?!

* * *

Leora immediately felt Laxus' anger burst through the Bond. She jerked her head up just fast enough to catch Laxus storming off into the woods. "Laxus wait!" He didn't listen, disappearing into the trees moments later. She frowned. She knew he would misunderstand when she realized what he was trying to do the night before. She tried to get up to follow, but Rhaegal's hands kept her in place.

"You were never like this before," Rhaegal rasped. "You've changed."

"I know," Leora confessed, before resigning to continue healing his wounds. "I know." Her eyes kept darting in the direction that Laxus had stormed off. Rhaegal must have known where she was looking.

"Why can't it be me?!" Rhaegal cried, his hands fisting into her clothes. She had materialized them after she returned to her human form.

"I cannot give you what you wish for," Leora said, leaning back when she was done with his shoulder wound. She brushed away a lone tear that trailed down his cheek. With a gentle hand, she pushed him down so that his head was lying in her lap. She brushed her fingers through his soft, silky hair. It was something she had always done for him whenever he had been upset as a child. "But you need to know that I will always be here for you."

Rhaegal grumbled, though he leaned into her touch. "How much longer are you going to do this?."

Leora let out a weak smile. "Just let me dream a little longer."

Rhaegal growled. "Fine. But you're going to have to wake up sooner or later." He got up from her lap and stood to his feet. "Just go. I know you won't feel right until you've fixed whatever is wrong between you two." Rhaegal's wings, raven blue and emerald, sprouted from his back.

Leora stepped forward before wrapping her arms around her brother.

Rhaegal ran stiff. "You really have changed if you were willing to give me a hug." He pulled back, obviously uncomfortable with her level of affection before flying off into the distance.

"Yes. Yes, I have," Leora whispered into the wind, before she sprouted her own wings in an attempt to locate her missing dragon slayer.

* * *

It didn't take her long to find Laxus. Not when he was practically stomping the ground as he walked, leaving a trail of crushed grass in his wake.

Leora landed right in front of him. "Laxus, stop." She flinched at the obvious rage burning in his eyes. Pursing her lips, she attempted to explain. "You've misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?!" Laxus shouted. "I don't think there's anything to misunderstand based on what I saw."

"Yes there is," Leora sighed, her arms up in the air. "The whole ritual, everything, you've…misunderstood."

"Then enlighten me," Laxus said through gritted teeth.

"The texts or tombs that you must have read aren't exactly accurate," Leora started. "The ritual isn't some grand 'romantic gesture'. It's…a test of compatibility."

At his silence, she continued. "I don't know how to make you understand, but dragons…we don't place…feelings into our decision to mate – that's just not what's done. Instead, we simply mate based on compatibility."

'Feelings' were human emotions.

"And the first three 'tests' as you can put it, are meant to determine whether one fits into the...family." She pressed her lips together, trying to figure out the best way to convey this. "That's why, what you saw back there, was normal. Because he is _family_ to me. And that is how you take care of family. We hunt for them, we heal them, we...protect them." She wasn't sure if this was getting through to Laxus. He was standing awfully still.

Leora was having trouble placing something as instinctual as mating into words. She had never had to explain herself before, but for some reason she felt compelled to make Laxus understand. So she trudged along. "And even the last part. The mark. It's merely to determine whether powers between dragons are compatible. And if they are, and the one marked is content then she reciprocates." And the mating is complete.

"The way it works for me is not the same as it is for you dragon slayers," Leora said. "We don't have what Gajeel and Levy have. It's not a union of...affection and compassion. It's a union of power, to ensure that future offspring remain pure and strong." Mating was an objective matter. Feelings were never factored in.

Leora shook her head. "I'm a dragon Laxus. I don't have those human feelings that you're looking for."

"Yes you do," Laxus finally said, throwing Leora a little off balance. He stepped towards her and the look in his eyes made her step back. This continued until she backed into the trunk a tree.

Leora sighed. "That's not possibl-"

"Yes, it is!" Laxus shouted with exasperation. "I know there's something more than just… _compatibility_ between us." His eyes were filled with pain, and a hint of fear. "You know that."

Leora didn't know. The feelings that welled up inside of her recently were all new to her. She didn't know what they were or what to think of them. Those feelings were so…human.

"So back there, yesterday," Laxus stressed. "What was that?"

"I don't know…" Leora whispered.

"So you'd do that with _him_?!"

"Of course not!" Leora shouted in reflex. She closed her mouth when she realized what she said.

His hand reached to caress her cheek and she subconsciously leaned into his touch. "Tell me that you don't feel anything at all, and I'll give up."

"…" She was conflicted. The rationale side of her kept reminding her that all of this was an unnecessary distraction. But the other side of her wanted something different...

Laxus' hand recoiled back before he brushed it into his hair in frustration. That one small touch had Leora craving for more, but he didn't return his hand to her face. Instead he leaned in close, but their bodies never touched. Still Leora's body lit up in anticipation.

"You want me to touch you?" Laxus' voice had gone deep and raw.

Leora's chest moved with each deep breath. _Yes_. He leaned in just a little closer, but still their bodies had no contact. His lips hovered just millimetres away from hers.

"You want me to kiss you?" Laxus whispered against her lips.

Leora bit her lip in order to control herself. _Yes._ One of her fangs pierced flesh and her tongue swiped absentmindedly at her lips in order to clear her blood away.

"I'll take that as a yes." Unable to hold back the temptation, Leora leaned forward, but was immediately blocked by two fingers pressed against her lips. She growled in frustration.

"Three words," Laxus said. "I'll let you start off easy. 'I like you.'"

Leora's brows furrowed. This was a bad idea. Physical attraction was one thing, but she had no room for blatant human emotions. Her father had always told her that they weren't necessary. Though her father was quite the hypocrite. She knew how he felt for her mother. But she also knew the consequences of those feelings. And it wasn't worth it.

Laxus sighed, pulling back, much to Leora's disappointment. "Well until I hear that from you, I guess we'll just be…'companions'." He turned on his heel, walking back towards the castle, leaving Leora alone in the middle of the forest.

Leora leaned back against the tree, blinking. She looked down, realizing that her claws had dug right into the trunk of the tree. She unhinged them from the bark.

Crickets chirped and winds howled, but all she could focus on was one thought.

 _What just happened?_

* * *

 ** _A/N: Did you think I was going to make it that easy for them? Nah. Relationships are complicated. Besides, I have all their major moments planned and one isn't happening for a while. It's also time that Leora finally gets a taste of her own medicine, which I've planned for next chapter hehe._**

 ** _Anyways, I'm f_** ** _inally done with my exam! Though that means I'm starting to work now, but hopefully I'll still be able to get chapters out at a decent pace. These chapters are taking more and more time to write as each progresses._**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	29. Arc III-29: Three simple words

**Chapter 29**

Leora glared up at her ceiling, cursing the man across the hall for her inability to sleep. She tried to calm the thoughts racing through her head, but failed miserably. Months ago, Leora would not have given a moment's care for any of this. But that was months ago. Now, she counted. Eight days, seven hours, thirty-five minutes and ten seconds to be exact.

 _That_ was how long he was ignoring her.

They had returned to the guild soon after her business at her castle had finished. And after that one night…he's spoken a total of ten words to her.

It was infuriating.

Never had Leora been subject to such…nonsense! All this because she refused to say three measly words. That human phrase. How…childish!

It wasn't even as though she hadn't tried to gain his attention back. She did. It just didn't work out as well as she had planned. It was surprising how resilient Laxus could be, even when she walked past him at home without a shred of clothing on. He hadn't even batted an eye.

When sexual advances didn't work, she even resorted to doing things that might get him angry. She knocked down a couple of shelves, set a few items on fire. Last night she even managed to trip him down the stairs.

But not a single one of her actions gained a reaction.

As a side note, it concerned her that he was still capable of tripping over wires. She figured he had better instincts by now.

Leora growled. It confused her that he was being so cold. He said they'd be companions, but this...this was anything but. He acted as though he didn't know her at all.

Her heart twisted.

Why were those words so important anyways. And besides, if she remembered correctly...

Leora sat straight up in a heated rage. Storming over to the room across the hall, she slammed open the door. The figure underneath the sheets didn't even budge. It only fueled her anger. "Why do I need to say it?! You haven't even said it yourse-"

"I like you."

Leora was glad that the darkness hid the way her jaw had dropped uncharacteristically. The hot air inside her dispersed. "W-What?" How was it that he could say that…so easily?

"I. Like. You."

Leora felt her entire body flush before she ran back into her own room and slammed the door shut. Leaning back against the wood, she placed her hands to her face. Her heart pounded. What is wrong with her? Why is he always capable of making her react like this? It has never happened to her before.

She couldn't describe the feeling that welled up inside her chest. It spread across her body, leaving tingles underneath her skin. It both terrified and exhilarated her at the same time. Is this...?

Leora shook her head to clear her thoughts. Forcing herself to calm down, Leora finally returned to the bed. A few minutes later, her body relaxed. She didn't notice that that one encounter with Laxus was enough to put her to sleep.

* * *

Laxus caught her scent by his door before he heard it creak open. Soft footsteps padded across the wooden floor. His back was turned so he didn't see her approach him, but her low growl caught his attention. Laxus sighed before turning around and lifting the sheets up. She slipped in immediately after.

Her eyes met his. They glinted in the moonlight from the window, but they never lost their feral glaze. A smile tugged at his lips when she snuggled into his side. One hand reached up to caress her soft, golden hair while the other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer.

Okay, so maybe he was cheating a little.

To be fair, it wasn't his fault. It started on the second night of his silent treatment. That night, she had also snuck into his room. He was hell bent on ignoring her, but it didn't take long for him to realize that her instincts had taken over. And they didn't take no for an answer. His surprise was brief when she tackled him in bed. At first, he thought she was only there to soothe her physical desires. He experienced a flash of anger at that thought, but when all she did was fall asleep by his side, that weight on his chest dissipated. He knew that she had come for him and not just his body. And that filled him with warmth.

Enough so that he kept indulging in her whims. This was now their nightly routine.

Laxus looked down when he felt her head shift before it settled in the crook of his neck. He relaxed. That was until he felt a small kitten lick along the column of his neck.

"No," Laxus said sternly. He shifted away slightly. He had made himself quite clear. No contact until she admitted her feelings to him, especially those of the sexual nature. He was already breaking the rules by letting her stay the night.

She shot him a pout before she returned to her spot.

He froze when he felt the nip at his neck. It was strategically positioned. Right where…

"Sunshine…don't go there," Laxus warned. That place…from what he had learned, suggested too much. It suggested things that he knew her consciousness would not approve of. And despite how much it hurt him to refuse her, he had to. "Don't do things you don't mean."

She growled low and nipped at his neck again. But this time she continued to nibble there.

Laxus felt his heart beat faster. The fact that her base instincts wanted this just as much as he did left him confused and conflicted." Sunshine…if this is what you want…what's holding you back?"

She rolled herself on top of his body before sitting up. Straddling his waist, she looked down at him with a frown. Low growls originated from her chest, as if she was trying to tell him something. She looked…frustrated. A few seconds of confusion later, she grabbed his hand before slowly placing it over her chest. Laxus felt her rapid heartbeat, almost matching the speed of his own. Her mouth opened and closed, but again, only growls left her throat.

"What's wrong?" Laxus asked, confused.

Her mouth opened again, but this time, Laxus managed to hear one choked word.

"B-Broken."

Laxus' eyes widened. "What do you mean Sunshine? Your heart…is broken?"

She shook her head rapidly side to side. "B-Broken…"

It was the only word she could say.

Laxus didn't understand, but it proved what he already knew. Something really was holding her back. He just hoped he'll find out sooner rather than later.

Laxus gave her a weak smile before pulling her back towards him. "Sleep, you can tell me later." She gave him one last look before she closed her eyes, snuggling herself further against his body. Laxus didn't know what to think, but he settled for having her by his side.

When morning came, Laxus carried her back to her bed. Just before she'd wake up so that she'd never know she stayed the night.

* * *

The next afternoon, Leora was sitting at table with the Raijinshuu when Makarov shouted from over by the bar. "Gray! Natsu! Another request for you two!" Waving in his hand was another job request. Leora cocked an ear out of curiosity.

"What?!" Natsu shouted, "I'm not going with Gray again."

"As if anyone would want to go on a job with you," Gray retorted. "The last one was a disaster."

Makarov shook his head, voice lowering. "No…you must go…and at all costs. You mustn't do anything careless…The name of this client is Warrod Sequen. Ranked fourth amongst the Ten Wizard Saints. He's one of the four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar."

Leora's chair toppled to the ground with a thud when she stood up abruptly. Ignoring the questioning gazes from the Raijinshuu, Leora turned fully towards the bar. The rest of the guild murmured in amazement. Leora materialized in front of the Master in less than a second. She stared at the request within his hand with intensity. "Where?"

Makarov looked up at her and handed her another copy of the request. "I figured you would be interested." With her brain filled only with the mention of Warrod's name, Leora bolted towards the door. She was so focused that she barely registered the shout of a certain dragon slayer as she flew off into the distance.

 _Warrod._

A name she had not heard in a hundred years. When Leora woke from her century long slumber, she had assumed that they had died. She hadn't given it a second thought. But to think that he was still alive. This…connection to her past was still alive. All she wanted to do was make sure that it was true.

It didn't take long for her to reach the small wooden cabin in the middle of nowhere. Not when she was flying at top speed. She wondered if he would remember her.

But then again, she was quite unforgettable.

Leora landed in front of the cabin, her wings flapping twice before disappearing again. For a second, she simply stood there, nervous. It had been so long…

"Are you just going to stand there," a voice spoke out, "or are you going to come in?"

The largest of smiles pulled at Leora's lips the moment she saw him. She had no doubt that it was Warrod in front of her. His scent was unmistakeable. A deep woody aroma, mixed with sweet flowers.

Warrod chuckled when she didn't move, his voice deep and hearty. "You never liked to follow instructions, did you?" He walked towards her from the door to his house. They stood in front of each other for a second, until he pulled her into a large hug. Leora didn't protest, simply breathing in his familiar scent. She didn't even know what to say. Words couldn't describe the joy that spread inside her heart.

Warrod looked down at her with an amused sparkle in his eyes. "You're allowing me a hug? My dear, you've changed."

Leora didn't doubt that. She finally managed to form words, looking up at the old man with a smirk on her face. "And you've aged." Time had not been kind to the mage, but his deep wrinkles only served to make his wisdom shine.

Warrod threw his head back and howled with laughter, "And some things never change." He turned towards the cabin, holding his arm out. "Come, let's get you some tea."

Leora turned to him as they headed inside. She stopped at the foyer, wanting to address something first. "I thought…you died."

"And I did," Warrod replied.

Leora looked to him with shock-

"Pff! It's a joke! It's a joke!" Warrod exclaimed with animation. "As if death could claim me so easily."

Leora was not impressed.

"Ah…maybe I should lighten up on the jokes." Warrod moved towards his kitchen while Leora took a seat at a small table in the middle of the cabin. She heard the clinking of glasses while she looked around. This place was very much the embodiment of Warrod as a mage. His entire cabin was its own garden, with plants growing from the ground to the ceiling. Leora brushed a hand against a bright red flower-

"Those are poisonous you know."

Leora's hand jerked back-

"It's a joke! It's a joke!" Warrod laughed. He placed the tea cups on the table and took a seat. "Leora my dear, you must relax."

"I am relaxed," Leora said, lips flattening. Warrod's face told her that he didn't believe her. She sighed, staring down at her tea, "If I had known that you were alive I would've…" She would've visited sooner. Her eyes flickered up to his face. "Did you know?"

Warrod gave her a weak smile. Leora's grip tightened slightly around the tea cup. "Why didn't you call for me? Why didn't you let me know?!"

Warrod shook his head, "My dear. It would've done you no good to dwell in the past. Look at how far you've gone whilst living in the present."

"I-"

Leora was cut off by noises from outside the cabin. She instantly recognized the banter that belonged to Gray and Natsu.

Warrod stood from the table. "It seems my guests are here." He turned to her. "Did you want to join us?"

Leora shook her head. She would wait for Warrod to finish with Team Natsu before getting back to their conversation. Besides she needed the time to think. She stood up from the table before transforming into her chibi dragon form and hiding herself inside the bushes of his garden. She watched through small gaps in the foliage as they arrived. She didn't pay much attention to the conversation, something about some village and some ice. Soon after, they moved to the picnic table outside of the cabin.

After they left, Leora stepped out of plants and returned to her human form. Given that she had some time, she strolled around the small cabin, her eyes soaking in the beauty of the plants. The sunflowers in the corner reminded her of-

…Why was she thinking of him again?! A small spark of frustration ran through Leora's veins as she remembered what her past week was like. _Argh! Why did he have to be so stubborn?!_

Leora vented her frustration out on the garden, her hands reaching towards the plants and picking out leaves one by one.

 _Pluck._ Stupid dragon slayer.

 _Pluck._ Ignoring her.

 _Pluck._ Making her say weird things.

'I like you.'

…What does that even mean?!

There is no concept of 'like' with dragons. Dragons act on the extremes. They either lived purely for survival, with clear cut calculations factored into each of their choices, or on pure emotion, with rage and fury driving their actions. Her father may have been an exception. He experienced something similar…but he didn't like, he _loved._

And he died for it.

 _Pluck._ She just didn't get it. Why was he trying to make her say something she didn't even understand?

 _Plu-_ "Ah!" Leora yelped as the plant she was mercilessly destroying decided to fight back, its branch slapping her roughly on the wrist.

"Whatever it is my dear, please don't take it out on the plants."

Leora turned her head around to see Warrod walking back inside. She didn't even hear him enter.

Warrod frowned, "What bothers you?"

Leora shook her head. "Nothing."

Warrod raised a brow. "Mutilating my lila vines doesn't seem like nothing." He looked at her with concern. "I've never quite seen you like this before. Is something wrong?"

Leora hesitated, "Not…exactly." She hardly believed that Warrod could solve her problem. That and confiding in the old mage would be quite…awkward.

Warrod stared at her intensely. "Is it because of a man?"

Leora's head shot up, her eyes wide open. _How did he know?_

Warrod howled with laughter. "So it is true! I didn't believe it when little Makarov came to brag about his grandson."

"You talked about me?!" Leora exclaimed.

"Only enough to know that you are smitten with Yuri's great grandson."

"I am not!" Leora protested. The plants rustled with the intensity of her denial.

"If you weren't, you wouldn't be so bothered by it, would you?" Warrod quipped.

Leora growled, knowing she had lost this fight. "It's nothing. There is nothing. Just…forget about it."

Warrod's eyes softened. "My dear…just talk to me."

Leora hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should just confide in the old man. She bit her lip, slightly nervous. What harm could there be…right? Her huff turned into a sigh. "…What does it mean to…like someone?"

She expected Warrod to laugh at her. Hell, if anyone had told her a few hundred years ago that she would ask something like this, she would've laughed at herself. But surprisingly, he didn't. Instead, he looked at her with deep, understanding eyes.

"That my dear…is a complicated question," Warrod started. "For some, it could simply mean attraction. For others, it may mean comfort and safety. It could mean that this person is always on their mind. They fill you with joy that bubbles up from inside your chest, spreading to your very limbs."

Leora stared at the wooden table, blinking.

The blush spread across her cheeks, heat burning through her skin. That was...impossible…

"But…he's human."

"Ask yourself truthfully," Warrod said. "Does that really matter to you?"

For the longest time, Leora thought that it did. Humans were irrational, loud and obnoxious. She despised them for centuries. But that slowly changed, with Mavis, Yuri, Warrod, Precht. And the rest of Fairy Tail as the years went by. And now…there was Laxus. She still couldn't understand what made him different. She just knew that he was. He challenged everything that she believed in. Threw all her expectations out the window.

But was the risk still too high?...

"You will figure it out eventually." Warrod gave her a smile, understanding her struggle. "In the meantime, how about you tell me everything that I've missed."

Leora's eyes brightened. For the next couple of hours, she told Warrod all about her adventures. From the moment she woke up to the slave collar, to the moment she and Laxus were connected. She talked about the excitement of the Grand Magic Games and the dragons. Oh, the dragons. There were stories about epic fights and dramatic wins accompanied by dramatic gestures from her hands.

And in exchange he told her all about his. About his life after she went to sleep. He told her about Fairy Tail and his adventures. About life as a Ten Wizard Saint. About his life in retirement and his work in the deserts.

They talked for so long that they didn't even notice that day had turned to night. It was only when they heard the voices of Team Natsu once again that they realized that it was getting late. Leora once again hid inside the plants in her smaller form when they re-entered the cabin. This time she peered out to watch.

Warrod was pleased to hear that the job went well. "I knew sending you guys was the right decision!"

Natsu scoffed, a wide grin on his face, "It was a piece of cake!"

"It really caught us off guard though when we found out Tartaros was involved," Wendy added.

Leora's head shot up, rustling the leaves in the garden.

 _…Tartaros?_

Natsu turned in her direction, but the overwhelming scent of the flowers hid hers from his detection. Leora shrank back into the leaves, wondering if she heard Wendy wrong. How would they know of Tartaros…

It was a name she hadn't heard in a very long time…

Either way, Warrod brushed off the comment. Instead he encouraged Team Natsu to try a hot spring nearby. Curious, Leora followed, hoping to hear more from their conversation. She hid in the bushes and chuckled at the small banter coming from the Team.

Leora smiled when Warrod revealed to them that he was a founding father of Fairy Tail.

"What?!"

"For real?!"

Warrod smiled, "It's all true. To have met you young fairies, really made my heart skip. The peace that Mavis sang about…Fairy Tail, a guild with bonds between the souls of mages which are even thicker than blood. The spirit carries on even now, and you have all succeeded that. Mavis once said, comrade isn't simply a word. Comrades are about heart. It's the unconditional trust in your partners."

Leora stared off into the distance. _Unconditional trust in your partners._ There was no doubt there. She trusted _him._ Maybe even with her life...

Warrod's words reminded her of Mavis', long ago.

 _Please, feel free to lean on me…and I, too will lean on you as well…_

 _There will be painful times…sad times…I'll be with you through thick and thin…You are never alone…the hopes we carry are watched by the number of stars twinkling in the skies…_

 _The rustling of the wind on our bodies are premonitions for what's to come tomorrow. Now let us take a stroll…to the melody from the song of fairies…_

A heavy weight settled into her heart as she stared up at the stars. Those words have never been so true to her. It had taken her long to understand, but now she knew that she would never be alone. That Mavis will watch over her wherever she was.

But...if that was what it meant to be a comrade…then what separates that and whatever's on the other side? Where does one draw the line, and at what point, does it become…more? What even lies past unconditional trust, beyond mutual support and companionship?

What more does she even need?

It was all too complicated for Leora to understand.

It was Natsu's shout that brought her out of her spiraling thoughts.

"Wait! Does this mean you're even older than Gramps?!"

"That's rude Natsu," Erza scolded.

"But if he's been around that long, he might know about E.N.D and the demons," Natsu argued.

Leora's attention returned to the conversation immediately. _E.N.D._ She looked towards Natsu.

 _How…ironic._

"E.N.D?" Warrod asked, "Demise?"

"Apparently, it has something to do with Zeref's book of demons," Natsu said.

"Hmm," Warrod closed his eyes, "I apologize, but I don't know. But when you told me about Tartaros this afternoon, I remembered something. We know next to nothing about the true form of the guild. Not of their base of operations, their members or even their actual numbers. But from various people who claim to have witnessed their meetings…they all say…those gatherings are a worshipping for demons."

Leora frowned, her eyes lowering. She turned away from the conversation. His description wasn't exactly…correct. Though it was close. Tartaros wasn't a guild meant for worshipping demons. No, they worshipped someone else entirely…

It was odd that they were staring to stir…

Leora gave the hot springs one last glance before heading out into the woods. She knew she should've bid Warrod goodbye, but she figured the plants would let him know. She took flight, letting the wind carry her weight as she soared. Her mind drifted, floating between thoughts of Tartaros, END and…Zeref.

The time was nearing, but what for she didn't know.

Leora's thoughts were free of a certain someone for her entire flight. But for some reason, as soon as she landed back in Magnolia, they returned with the brunt of a storm. Her mind returned to her conversation with Warrod. Her cheeks warmed. She couldn't believe that she had even confided in him about…Laxus.

Laxus…

Just thinking about his name made her insides twist. She had told him that dragons didn't have the need to factor emotions. But here she was, getting all emotional about him. What a hypocrite she was.

Leora growled in frustration as she stalked across town back towards her home. Home. It was strange, but it had been a while since she had thought of it as Laxus' home. She wondered if he had noticed that she was gone.

Probably not.

A heavy weight settled over her chest with that thought. She returned to the house, her mood dampening with each step. When she reached her room, she gave a passing glance to Laxus' door, closed, as it often was. She could sense that he was home. Did he not care that she was gone for the entire day?

Shaking her head out of frustration, she returned to her room. She collapsed on the bed, exhausted. Despite thoughts racing through her head, Leora managed to fall asleep.

* * *

"Oi! Don't you think you've hogged Shrimp enough!"

Leora flicked an eye in Gajeel's direction, but she didn't give him a response. Instead, she pulled Levy closer to her in her lap. She snuggled into the crook of her neck. Levy's scent soothed her.

"Gajeel!" Levy scolded, "be nice! Leora isn't feeling well, so let her be."

Well, not feeling well wasn't exactly how Leora would describe it. She just didn't have as much energy as normal, didn't feel like hunting or doing anything for that matter. The thing that bothered her the most was-

"Keh, she's only sulking cause the lightning rod is ignor-" Levy smacked Gajeel on the head before he could finish his sentence. "Oi-"

But he was interrupted again by the clearing of the Master's throat. Leora turned, her eyes skimming past blonde on the way there. The master stood on top of the bar, next to Mira. Now that she was paying attention, Leora did notice quite a few more people in the guild today, and all were quite excited. Even the Raijinshuu, one table away, were on edge.

"As you all know…" the Master started. "The last time we held this event, a tragedy befell those that were on Tenrou Island." There was a low hum amongst the crowd. "For seven long years it has been postponed, but now that we are all back and well, I see no reason not to continue again…with the S Class Exams!"

The guild roared with excitement. Leora was surprised at how animated they had become, even when compared to their normal level. Already she could see flames shooting out of Natsu's mouth. "S Class exams?"

"Ya dragon girl!" Bickslow exclaimed in her direction, tongue hanging out of his mouth. His babies flew around chanting. "It's the time when us normal mages get the chance to be promoted to S Class status!"

Freed nodded, "It was cancelled the last time due to Grimore Heart and…other circumstances, but seeing as we are all present now, it should be quite the event."

Levy turned her head around with a smile. "I participated too."

Makarov continued, "This year…we will be increasing the number of participants." He started listing out the names. Natsu, Gray, Cana, Freed, Levy, Juvia, Elfman. All were the prior exam's participants. Then, a few more were added. Bickslow, Evergreen, Gajeel, and Lucy.

Leora had to cringe away when she heard Bickslow's loud cackle and Evergreen's excited squeal. Was this ritual so important? She chanced a glance at Laxus, and noticed a slight twitch of his lip. Maybe he was proud of them as well.

After the cheering had settled down, the Master outlined the rules. "Once again, you will be allowed to choose one partner, as long as they are not an S Class mage."

Leora heard low mumbling from somewhere nearby. "As long as they're not an S Class mage…oh!" Leora flinched away when Bickslow practically leapt across guild at her. She pulled Levy out of the way as well. She thought she heard growling, but she must've been mistaken.

Bickslow stared at her with a wild smile and a small twinkle in his eye. "I found my partner!"

All eyes turned to them before the guild exploded into chaos. There were multiple accounts of 'that's not fair!' and 'that's cheating!', but Bickslow paid them no mind.

"Hey! She's not even human!" Natsu shouted from across the guild.

Bickslow shrugged his shoulders, not backing down. "Hey, the Master said anyone but an S Class mage. Technically, dragon girl fits!"

"Hmm…" Makarov ran a hand through his beard. "That is true… "

"Are you sure she even wants to participate? She didn't even say yes," Levy pointed out.

Leora still didn't understand what all the commotion was about. It was just a test of sorts, right? Besides, she wasn't in the mood for much lately. She was about to open her mouth to say no, but Bickslow leaned in closer.

"You look like you need to blow off some steam," Bickslow said. "The S Class exams…it's going to be a free-for-all."

Leora perked up. That was true...she needed an outlet for her pent-up frustrations. This could be the perfect opportunity. Her eyes flickered towards the source of her problems. He simply sat there with a scowl on his face, eyes shifting away when they met hers. A spark of annoyance raced down her spine.

"Fine," Leora huffed.

"Well!" Bickslow grinned as he grabbed Leora's wrist. "That settles it." He ignored everyone's protests as he dragged her out the door and around the back before walking into the forest. Leora pulled her wrist out of Bickslow's grip, but continued to follow his steps.

A few minutes in, with his arms folded behind his head, Bickslow turned to her while walking backwards. His brow was raised. "How are you doing?"

She stiffened slightly, but her steps never faltered. "I'm fine."

He didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? You seem…a little on edge lately."

Leora's eyes widened slightly. Was her distress…that obvious? She glared at Bickslow when he started to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Both of you, that's what," Bickslow replied. Leora ducked underneath another branch as they passed by more trees. A few minutes later, they reached a bright clearing in the forest. She sucked in a breath. She remembered this clearing.

It was the one she battled Laxus in. On the day, she agreed to bond with him.

"I don't get it," Bickslow said, as he spun around. His babies flew up in the air, repeating his words. "What's wrong with Laxus?"

Leora realized what they came here for, and lowered her stance. He was taking this exam quite seriously if he was already beginning to train. Seeing as they were only sparring, she conjured up a pair of swords. "There's nothing wrong with him."

Bickslow's babies went on offense, shooting lasers in her direction. Leora dived to the side to dodge the attack before bursting forward to swing at the dolls. She was impressed by the speed at which they moved. She watched them circle together for another attack. She was about to move when-

"Then why do you keep rejecting him?"

Leora was thrown off by the question. Enough so that she was unable to dodge the next attack. She grunted as she took the blunt of the blow. Her clothes hissed and she could smell the burnt corners of her outfit. Serves her right for wearing human clothing to battle. With a swirl of lightning, she swapped her clothes for armour.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Leora said through gritted teeth. She sent a few waves of lightning in his direction, but Bickslow simply flipped away. She growled. She couldn't stay focused for some reason.

Bickslow frowned, straightening up. His babies flew back to his side, hovering around his head. "You know. If you really feel nothing for him, you should just let him go."

"I already told him!" Leora said. Well…not exactly. She didn't know why she clammed up that night in the forest. When he told her to say that she felt nothing for him, for some reason, she couldn't do it.

They continued to spar, while Leora's head spun. She didn't know why she was getting riled up. "I laid it all out for him," Leora confessed as she dodged another blast from Bickslow's dolls. "But then he had to go and do…whatever it is he's doing."

"What do you mean?" Bickslow said. "Laxus acts like that to everyone." He sidestepped a swipe from her sword. "You were always the one exception."

Leora's breath hitched. "That's not true."

"Trust me," Bickslow said. "I've known him for a very long time, and he's been with many women, but you were always different. But whatever it is you said, made him realize that maybe the two of you are best if you were only comrades."

A large weight dropped on top of Leora's chest. That was what she wanted…right? "That's…fine."

Bickslow raised a brow. "So, you wouldn't be bothered if Laxus turned his attention to another girl?"

The growl formed in her throat before she could stop it. She cut it off when she saw Bickslow's grin. Her next growl was one of warning. He was taunting her, and unfortunately, it was working.

"I wouldn't be bothered," Leora's mouth spit out, though her mind said otherwise. She tried to calm her instincts that had sudden risen in response to Bickslow's comment.

"Oh good," Bickslow grinned, his tongue hanging out, "Because he's on an escort mission with another woman right now. And from what I heard, she's quite the looker." He cocked his head. "You wouldn't mind right?"

Leora felt a stab in her chest.

She didn't care…

She…didn't.

She was snapped out of her daze with Bickslow's yawn. "Well, that's enough for me today. Let's continue this tomorrow, kay dragon girl?" He stretched his arms over his head as he started to walk back towards the guild.

...What?

They sparred for only ten minutes before Bickslow disappeared, leaving Leora alone in the field. Which also left her mind alone to wander. Images of Laxus and another girl flashed through her mind. Walking through the town, with bright smiles on their faces.

Her claws dug into her skin. She let out a growl of frustration before she sprouted her wings, flying back towards the town in pursuit of the dragon slayer. She kept repeating that she was being ridiculous, but despite that, her speed only grew faster.

Within a minute, she had landed on the rooftop of one of the buildings that lined the main street of Magnolia. Crouching behind the ledge, she leaned her head over, her eyes scanning the street below. It was crowded. But it didn't take her long to locate her target.

The sky began to rumble.

The girl was brunette, with a light sundress and a bright smile. A smile that was directed right towards Laxus. Her eyes narrowed in on the way her body was turned towards his, a sign of interest.

Clouds gathered, blocking the sun.

Laxus looked down at the girl as she talked animatedly. He seemed invested in whatever she was saying. What sort of mission was this?! Her claws dug into the concrete when she touched his arm.

A crack of lightning shot through the sky-

"What are you doing up here?"

Leora jumped back, startled. She turned to her right, encountering pink. Natsu looked at her with curious eyes. "N-Nothing." He didn't look like he believed her. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Natsu paused for a moment before staring at his feet. "Nothing."

Leora raised a brow. She saw Natsu's eyes flicker down towards the street and she followed. Her lips curled when she caught sight of Lucy down in the crowd. Walking next to another man. She must've been on a…date.

Leora and Natsu looked at each and then back towards the street. Natsu then settled himself down next to Leora. "We can do nothing together?"

She let her silence be the affirmation he needed.

Natsu placed his elbows on the concrete ledge, resting his chin on his palms. A pout settled on his face. "I don't understand."

Leora copied his motion and looked down. Now she was linking her arm through his. A growl settled in her throat. "Me neither."

Natsu must've followed her gaze. "Well…at least Laxus doesn't look like he's having fun on his mission."

Leora frowned. She had no idea what he was talking about. He was clearly smiling at the woman. In fact, he seemed as though he was enjoying her ocmpany. Not wanting to watch, Leora turned her attention to Lucy and her…date. Judging from the blonde's body language it doesn't seem as though she's interested in the man.

"Lucy doesn't appear to be having fun either," Leora commented.

Natsu grumbled, "Looks like she's having the time of her life to me."

Leora shrugged off his comment. One will only see what they wished to see.

* * *

Across the street, on top of another building, three figures whispered excitedly amongst themselves.

"I told you she'd show up!" Bickslow exclaimed.

Evergreen shushed him. "She'll hear you."

"Rest assured Ever," Freed said. "I've already placed runes around us. She won't be able to hear us."

Bickslow grinned, "Perfect."

Evergreen's eyes glinted. "She sure is bothered for someone who said they didn't care." She looked up at the sky, watching the clouds darken by the minute. If they weren't careful, someone was going to get hurt soon.

"I think you did too good of a job Bickslow," Freed said, a frown on his face.

"Don't worry!" Bickslow reassured. "Everything will be fine."

"Laxus sure is taking his time with the girl though," Evergreen frowned.

"He can't help it," Freed said. "Ms. Silvia is a high noble. She directly requested for him. Laxus was given strict instructions to be civil while he escorted her."

"And where exactly was he supposed to escort her to?"

"Unfortunately," Freed said, "the request didn't specify."

Evergreen narrowed her eyes. "So essentially, the girl went on a roundabout way to ask him out."

Bickslow waved his hands in the air. "Relax guys. Can't you see the scowl on his face? This is the last place he wants to be right now."

"Tell that to Leora," Evergreen muttered. They all looked across the street and could see her expression darkening by the second. "Sometimes it confuses me why she doesn't just tell him she likes him. I mean, it's obvious enough that she does."

Freed shook his head. "It's more complicated than that. Dragons, aren't exactly fond of human feelings like us. I figure that she's currently struggling to figure out what exactly it is she's feeling. She probably doesn't even understand. For Laxus to do this to her…is quite cruel."

All three of them sighed. They knew that Laxus' cold shoulder treatment wasn't the best of ideas. They tried convincing him otherwise, but he wouldn't listen, being the stubborn man he was. So, they were forced to watch on the sidelines, unable to help.

"I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet," Evergreen said, "but why is Natsu up there?"

The other two shrugged. "No idea."

* * *

Natsu frowned. Lucy seemed happy on her 'date'. The guy was even buying ice cream for her...

"Don't worry," Leora said. Natsu turned to her in confusion, but all she gave him was a smirk. He glanced back down at the streets. Suddenly, the guy jumped, causing the ice cream cone in his hand to spill all over his shirt.

The jump was so unnatural...it was as if he was shocked.

Natsu looked to Leora just as the sparks disappeared from his hand. A smile grew on his cheeks and he held back a laugh. The guy with Lucy stuttered in embarrassment, while she looked at him with apprehension.

Natsu turned towards the other pair in the plaza. He decided to return the favour. It was a bad idea, he knew, but he didn't like how sad Leora has been over the past few weeks. He waited until Laxus' head was turned before he let just the smallest flame start at the tips of her hair. The girl didn't notice until it burnt itself up a good few inches.

Natsu didn't know what he'd rather watch, the screaming woman on the streets down below, or the grin on the face of the dragon beside him. Natsu and Leora looked each other in the eye, both gleaming with mischief.

The next ten minutes were full of accidental tripping, miscellaneous objects falling and hair burning. The pair continued their little game, each causing trouble for the source of the other's frustrations. But the more problems they caused, the clingier the girl became. By now, she was practically hanging off Laxus' arm.

While Natsu could see how displeased the lightning dragon slayer was, it was clear that Leora didn't share the same point of view. Natsu didn't know that it was possible for the sky to turn so dark and ominous.

Unable to take it anymore, Leora let the burst of anger free. She lost control over the pent-up electricity in the sky causing it to come down in a bolt of lightning. A few people noticed the strike and screamed. Out of instinct, Laxus raised his hand and absorbed the entire blast. Immediately, his eyes turned to the sky. Stunned, Leora forgot to hide until it was too late. He turned in her direction and their eyes met. She caught his intense stare, unable to decipher the meaning behind it. She winced.

She would've felt guilty were it not for the high-pitched squeal that came from the woman beside him.

"I was so scared!" The woman clung on harder to his arm. "You're so powerful!" Distracted Laxus turned his head back towards the girl.

The woman took that moment to push herself up onto her toes and towards her goal.

Leora froze.

* * *

"No, no, no…" the three on the roof whispered. The Raijinshuu watched with horror as the aristocrat stole a kiss from their leader.

Freed snarled, eyes blazing and fists curled, "How dare she-"

"Freed, calm down," Evergreen scolded. She looked across the street, trying to locate Leora, but it was too late. "She's gone…"

They glanced back down. Judging from the look on Laxus' face, he noticed the same thing.

* * *

Leora flew. She didn't know where, and for how long. She just…flew. Winds blasted against her skin, but she never felt it. Her heart raced. Her breath shortened. The sky screamed.

She landed in an empty field, with no sign of human life around her. Her feet touched dirt. No grass grew here. No, she made sure of that long ago.

With a deep breath, she let it pelt lightning as she tilted her head back and roared.

"You're going to attract unwanted attention that way."

Leora didn't turn around, but she growled, "Why are you here?" She heard his footsteps even above the roar of her own thunder. She remained wary of his presence. Especially with how their last encounter ended.

"I heard you all the way from across the ocean," Rhaegal answered. She turned to him. He had his hands out, gesturing to the field. "You always used to come here when you're upset. What is it this time?"

Leora didn't answer.

Rhaegal sighed, "All right then." He cracked his knuckles and Leora felt the power ripple from his body. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Leora's eyes widened slighty before her lips curled. She felt her lightning surround her, swirling like an angry whirlwind. She caught the gleam of his eye before they both burst forward, clashing with the fury of a storm. Thunder roared and winds howled as they fought.

She soon lost track of time. Instead she poured her angry and frustration into the fight, letting her actions speak for her. And in return, Rhaegal absorbed every drop for her. Just as she had done for him in the past. This island, in the middle of the ocean, was their sanctuary.

And this, their ritual.

When all was said and done – though in reality, no words were exchanged – they laid side by side on the ground. Covered in dirt and blood, chests rose and fell in rapid fashion. Adrenaline raced through Leora's veins, but she finally felt calm. It was night by the time they had finished and now the full moon greeted them from a cloudless sky.

"Better?" Rhaegal asked, as he stared up at the stars.

Leora smiled, "Yes." It was always like this between them. No questions asked. No words spoken, just actions. It had always been their preferred way. It made her happy that they were still able to stay the same. Even with all that had gone on between them.

She heard him stand and looked up to a hand being held to her. "Come on, let's get cleaned up." She graciously took the offer and followed him, their destination engraved in her memory.

The farther they headed from the field, the more vegetation took over. Eventually, dirt and stone turned to grass and trees. And within the forest on the edge of the mountain was a lake. Clear and untouched by humanity.

Rhaegal dived in without hesitation and she soon followed. They were bare to each other, but neither of them cared. To them, their human bodies were simply such. Human bodies. Flesh and bones that held their souls. She was comfortable bearing herself to him. That would never change. He was family.

Leora let the water run the grime from her skin, feeling its cool sensation calm her senses. Birds sang in the distance and for once she laid back against the rock to listen. She watched as Rhaegal emerged from the water, droplets of water trailing down his body. His deep raven hair gleamed, his sharp emerald eyes pierced through the darkness. He was beautiful, there was no doubt about that. Dragons often were. He shot her a smile as bright as the stars as he walked towards her. And in that moment, she made a realization.

He went around her and sifted her hair through his fingers. Leora relaxed and let him play and braid her hair. He'd make almost any girl blush with his skills.

"I still won't give up," Rhaegal confessed as he weaved another strand.

Leora frowned, "Rhaegal…"

"I'm patient," he said, "I can wait for another century." She knew he meant that he would wait for Laxus to leave this earth. It chilled her blood to even think of that thought. But she knew that even if it were to happen, Rhaegal still wouldn't feel…right.

"You will always be my moon in the night sky," Leora said slowly. Soft and comforting. A beacon in the darkness. But shine as he might, he'd never be as bright…

"But _he_ is your sun," Rhaegal said, his fingers pausing.

Leora breathed, "Yes." It was past due for her to admit that Laxus was her sun. He blazed in the morning sky, banishing the shadows, showing her a brighter path. Perhaps that's why she's so hesitant. Because she feared that if she flew too close, she'd forget about the night all together.

And she can't do that.

No matter what, she had to remember the darkness. Because it's what fuels her path to vengeance.

Head tilting back in the sky, her lips curled into a solemn smile.

She found clarity.

"I should go," Leora said as she rose from the lake. She had taken one step when he caught her wrist.

"I still don't approve of what you're doing," Rhaegal said, "It's hurting you."

"I'll be fine Rhaegal," Leora said, her head turning to the side.

"I'm looking for ways to save you."

She stiffened. "I don't need to be saved," Leora whispered, the wind carrying her voice through the air. She didn't let him answer as she pulled back her wrist. Unfolding her wings from her back, she took to the skies.

* * *

Laxus grumbled underneath his breath as he nursed yet another beer. He had lost count after his fifth. He was stuck in a state of guilt and frustration. Why was she always just disappearing out of the blue? First it was with that Wizard Saint, and now, he didn't even know where she went.

"You know, if you're worried, you can go look for her," Evergreen suggested.

Laxus shoved a wavering hand in her direction. "Hmph. I don't care. She can do whatever she wants." That was what she had been doing anyways. Stubborn dragon. It had been the biggest struggle to ignore her these past few weeks, hoping she would get a feel for what he felt. He almost caved, multiple times.

Bickslow barked, "Please, you've been staring at the door for the entire day."

Freed nodded, "Laxus I'm sure she's fine."

"Maybe she's just venting off some steam," Evergreen said. "We did tell you not to take that job."

Laxus caught the accusing looks they shot him. He downed his beer and waved at Mira for another one. He knew he messed up today. But she was only supposed to get jealous, not disappear for half the day. She didn't even wait for him to explain.

And now, she was off...god knows where.

Laxus growled at that thought, "Mira! Beer!"

Mira frowned when she got to his table. "I think you've had enough." He sent her a glare that had her sighing. "Fine…"

He ignored the looks the Raijinshuu sent his way.

Stubborn dragon…

 _Just hurry up and tell me you like me already…_

* * *

When Leora returned home that night, she immediately retired, exhausted from the events of the day. But she woke up a couple of hours later to pounding against her room door. Confused, she slipped out and opened the door, only to freeze a moment later when Laxus collapsed on top of her. If she didn't have her strength she was sure she would've been knocked to the ground. Instead, the man was now draped over her like a blanket.

"Laxus, what are you-"

"Shut up…" Laxus slurred.

Leora scrunched her nose, the prominent smell of alcohol making its way to her. He was utterly intoxicated. After her realization in the lake, she was prepared to push him back. But her body wouldn't listen. After days of no contact between them, it decided to be selfish.

And it seemed like he was thinking of the same. His feet pushed forward and Leora, now weak, let him walk them back towards the bed. Her knees caught on the edge and she fell backwards, Laxus following as well.

Laxus grunted as they landed with an oomph, "Why…are you so s-stubborn…" He caged her body underneath him. His head rested right in the middle of her chest, like he was treating it as a pillow. "You…were supposed to give in…"

She shouldn't. It was too dangerous.

"Laxus…" Leora breathed, "you should return to your room." Before she did something they'd both regret.

"No," Laxus replied, nuzzling himself further into her breasts, "These are mine."

Leora's eyes widened and she wanted to laugh. He was such a child when intoxicated. It was…entertaining. "Yes, yes."

He gave one of them a kiss, sending a small jolt through her body. "Good." He lifted himself onto his elbows before crawling further up until they were face to face. Leora found it much harder to resist now.

"You're mine."

Leora couldn't stop the shiver down her spine after hearing his words. It was possessive, but not uncommon amongst dragons. But she couldn't give him a response. She frowned when she saw the hint of sadness in his eyes.

"I don't get it," Laxus blurted, his speech still slightly slurred. He leaned in. Leora couldn't look away, trapped by his gaze. "Why…"

Leora didn't know what to say.

One of his hands fisted into the sheets below her. "Why won't you acknowledge me?" She could hear the frustration in his voice.

"I-"

"I will never be good enough for you, will I?!" Leora could see the pain reflected in his eyes. Laxus growled, "I was...never good enough for the old man...never good enough for people who compared me to Gramps...no matter what I do, I'm always one step short of everyone's expectations. And now you-"

Leora immediately placed two fingers against his lips. Her voice lowered, "No one's expectations should _ever_ influence you. Especially not mine." She sighed, leaning her head back against the mattress. She wondered if she looked as exhausted as he did.

"Then why..." Laxus repeated.

Leora bit her lip. "You...say that you like me...but in reality, you don't even know the real me."

Laxus narrowed his eyes, "Is that what you really think?"

"It's what I know," Leora replied.

"Then show me," Laxus insisted, his voice betraying his desperation.

Leora shook her head before turning away. "I've hidden that part of me so that it will never see light. If you ever caught even a glimpse…you'd change your mind."

"I don't care about any of that," Laxus growled.

She heard her own voice crack. "You should."

"I ain't a saint, Sunshine," Laxus confessed. "I don't care for being perfect...you could murder a whole village...and I know that I still wouldn't care." He snorted. "I'm that screwed up now…because of you."

Her heart sped. "You're…speaking nonsense." There was no way that he wouldn't care. He wouldn't understand.

"It's the truth," Laxus said, leaning closer.

Leora forgot how to breathe. And even when she did remember, all she could take in was his scent, surrounding her like a blanket. Her chest ached. Each thump pounded inside her ear like drums, growing louder by the second. The air thinned and everything around her disappeared, her focus geared only towards the man in front of her.

Why was it that he always managed to turn her thoughts upside down? She had resigned herself to solidarity for the sake of her quest. But somehow, he manages to push himself into her life, refusing to leave. And it was becoming increasingly hard to want him to.

"…How intoxicated are you?" she asked out of the blue.

Her eyes followed his brows as they knitted together. "…Very."

"How much of this would you remember?"

Laxus snorted, "None of it."

"Good," she breathed before she pushed up onto her elbows and closed the distance between them. Leora had no idea how much she missed him until she felt the soft touch of his lips. The shocked stiffness before they melted into hers. She lingered, rejoicing their connection. Before she reluctantly let go, she sucked gently on his bottom lip.

Laxus collapsed right on top of her. "Damn it!" he mumbled into her neck, "I don't want to forget that."

Leora smiled into his hair, breathing in the smell of a fresh lightning storm. As much as she wanted to stay like this, she knew that he would be upset in the morning if he found out he had broken silence and had come to see her. She gently pushed them upright before hoisting his body over her shoulder.

"O-Oi, what are you doing?" Laxus mumbled, but he was still too intoxicated to struggle.

"Payback," Leora replied. She took a quick glance to the side, getting quite the view. Now she understood why he liked carrying her this way…

She carted him back over to his room before dropping him onto his bed. He groaned and rolled onto his back and within seconds she could already hear his soft snores. Letting a smile rest on her face, Leora tried to cover him with his sheets, though since he was sleeping on top of them, she figured it would be fine if she wrapped them around him. Like…what was that called? A burrito?

Satisfied, Leora gave herself a few more moments, staring at Laxus' peaceful face.

She didn't notice it until now, but he looked much happier than he had been in the past while. And what shocked her even more, was how much happier _she_ felt. And it had only been a brief moment of connection.

Leora pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut.

Who was she to kid herself anymore?

With that thought, she leaned down, right over his ear.

And whispered three simple words.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sooo close, but I had to let her struggle for a bit. I know, this chapter took while to get out, but it took a while to compile together. I've also been working till midnight most days now, so be prepared to wait a while for the next one. Just putting this out there. Thanks for your patience! It's really appreciated.**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	30. Arc III-30: Confession

**Chapter 30**

A soft spray of water landed on Leora's cheek while she rested her chin on the side of the ship. The salt in the air mixed with the scent of timber from the wood as inhaled. Squawking seagulls over head and splashing waves from the sea below partially drowned out her heavy sigh a few moments later.

"Come on dragon girl!" Bickslow exclaimed with an excited smile. His face came into her view as he leaned over the side of the boat next to her. "Cheer up, we're almost to Tenrou Island." Bickslow cried out in protest when Leora knocked off his mask and into the water. "Oi!"

"How many times do I have to tell you that you don't need it," Leora scolded before turning back towards the water. It's been a week since that night she had her little slip up in Laxus' room. At least, that's what she called it. She was grateful that he had been asleep when she said those three words.

So why was she so constantly irritated? Nothing had changed between her and Laxus. He didn't remember a single thing. He continued to ignore her and she continued to…not do anything about it. It was for the best…really. So why was she so constantly irritated?

Before Leora could get in another sigh, Bickslow grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the front of the ship. "Alright, its about to start," Bickslow said. "Come on."

Leora caught the determination in Bickslow's eyes and she straightened up. She knew how important this was to the seith mage, and given she had promised him to be his partner, she wasn't going to let him down. Just beside them, Natsu was grumbling about how unfair it was that she was participating. It made her smile in anticipation.

A few minutes later, when the island came into view, the Master stood up on the wooden ledge of the ship and cleared his voice. "Alright! Welcome to the S Class Exams!" All the participants on the ship started to cheer. "It has been a long time since the last exams have been held, and I am grateful to be able to hold them again. Now to explain the rules. Scattered across the island are keys." A hologram image of the golden keys appeared in front of the participants. The keys were simple, with a small carving of the Fairy Tail insignia branded on its side. "You only need one key per pair. But! There may not be enough keys for everyone." Everyone perked up. "Once you find your key, you must make your way to the Tenrou tree for the second component of the test."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Good," Makarov said. "Now since we are in view of the island…you may begin!"

There were a few seconds of widespread panic before everyone attempted to make it to the island. But, similar to the scenario seven years ago, Freed had already applied runes around the side of the boat. Since Bickslow wasn't Freed's partner this time around…he was trapped.

"Damn it!" Bickslow shouted. Already Levy and Evergreen were rewriting themselves out of the boat. He knew he should've paid more attention to Freed when he was teaching them! He was about to turn to Leora for ideas when he suddenly felt her clawed hands on his shoulders.

"Freed had once mentioned that his runes reach to the skies," Leora said cryptically as she looked up.

"No…don't you dare," Bickslow warned. But it was too late. Leora's wings were already spread.

"Let's see how far they really reach," Leora grinned, her fangs glinting in the sun.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Bickslow screamed as Leora burst into the sky with him in tow. They raced into the clouds at record speed, leaving Bickslow in a daze. The air began to thin and grow cold while the wind whipped around him at deafening levels. They kept on climbing and climbing until-

"Found it," Leora smiled. Bickslow could no longer make sense of anything as Leora flew over the runes. He knew he must have been hallucinating, but he swore they were in space. Or at least that's what it felt like.

The descent was worse than the climb. Bickslow screamed the entire way down, fearing for his life, even though he knew Leora would never drop him. They dove at insane speeds, racing for the island. At one point, he thought he passed by Freed and Bisca.

When they finally touched ground, Bickslow collapsed onto the beach. He kissed the sand, thanking Mavis that he made it alive. Leora stood off to the side and rolled her eyes at him for being dramatic.

"Let's go," she said. Bickslow smiled at how seriously she was taking this. He knew that this would be a good distraction for her. And boy did she need one. He couldn't believe how stubborn the pair continued to be. It was obvious to everyone how they felt about each other, but neither one seemed to want to budge. But, unfortunately, there was nothing he could do but wait.

Climbing to his feet, Bickslow and Leora headed into the island. Given that they had no idea where to start, they simply ventured around. Leora had deemed herself too mighty to flip rocks over, which left Bickslow to do all the grunt work. At least he didn't have to worry about the wildlife. Each and every monster seemed to be afraid of the dragoness, turning around to flee whenever they saw her. Even the ones that were ten times his size.

They were in the middle of the forest when Bickslow caught something in the corner of his eye. He quickly pulled Leora behind a tree. She opened her mouth to protest, but Bickslow placed a finger over his lips. He gestured behind him towards the clearing.

They watched as Erza slowly walked by, patrolling the clearing. Bickslow wanted to stay hidden, hoping to stay out of battle until it was necessary. But Leora perked up beside him. She pointed to her chest, lifting her necklace before gesturing back to Erza. Bickslow looked back over and noticed the gleam of gold coming from Erza's neck.

This was bad. If Erza was wearing one of the keys, then he had a good hunch that all the rest were being worn by S-Class mages wandering the island. Guess a battle is inevitable.

Before Bickslow could plan out his next move, he heard loud shouts coming from the clearing.

"There it is! Erza's wearing the key!"

Out of the woods burst Natsu and Happy. Natsu wore a wide grin on his face, his fists already lit in flames. It was clear that he was more than happy to battle it out against Erza for the right to the key. Bickslow debated on crashing the fight, but Leora pulled him in another direction.

When they were out of earshot, Leora turned to him. "Leave Natsu with Erza, it should slow him down." Bickslow nodded. That made sense. Knowing the pair, they would duke it out for ages until one of them gives. Leora then pointed in another direction. "I caught the scent of the key, there's another one nearby."

Bickslow followed Leora through the trees until they left the forest. She led them up a grassy hill. But on their way down, Bickslow finally noticed exactly who it was waiting at the bottom of the valley. Dressed in a rough, worn out cloak with dark slicked-back hair and a five o'clock shadow was the last man Bickslow wanted to encounter.

Gildarts.

"Dragon girl…I don't think this is a good idea…" Bickslow started to back away, but yelped when ground behind him exploded. It was too late, they were spotted.

"Where are you going?" Gildarts grinned. Bickslow gulped. He wanted to tell Leora to run, but the dragoness was already standing across the S-Class mage. How the hell did she get down there so fast?

Gildart's smile only grew wider. "And who is this beautiful young lady?" His eyes trailed up and down her body. It probably didn't help that Leora was only wearing a bikini top and a pair of shorts due to the heat. "Everyone else who saw me today ran in the opposite direction. You were the first to actually approach me." His eyes sparkled and he reached forward to grab one of Leora's hands in his own. "Were you attracted by my handsome physique?"

This time it was Bickslow warning Gildarts. "Uh…Gildarts…you might not want to do that…"

"What do you mean-ah!" Gildarts' entire body lit up as Leora electrocuted him. The older man jumped backwards, his clothes and his hair sizzling after the sparks disbursed. But instead of being angry, Gildarts' grin only grew. "What an electrifying woman!"

Leora lifted her chin with a sniff of disgust before her brows narrowed. "You. You're related to Cana."

At the mention of his daughter's name, Gildarts' eyes filled with hearts. He burst forward and grabbed Leora's hands again. "You know my lovely daughter! Isn't she beautiful, amazing, and smart and-ah!" Leora dished out another round of lightning just so the man would back away from her. Gildarts was blasted back a few feet.

Gildarts shook off the sparks with one arm. Cracking his neck, he stared at Leora with a knowing smile, all traces of light humour replaced by seriousness. "Young lady, I've been excited to meet you."

"You know of me?" Leora asked.

Gildarts snorted, "Who wouldn't be intrigued by the one who's got Laxus strung on a leash?"

Bickslow's eyes widened. That wasn't the right thing to say.

Leora growled low, sparks gathering around her. " _Excuse me?_ "

Gildarts continued, as if he never made his comment to begin with, "To be honest, I wasn't too pleased to come in contact with another of your kind, given that my first encounter left me with half my internal organs left."

Leora's eyes flashed. Bickslow knew that a part of the dragoness acknowledged the man purely for the fact that he survived an attack from a dragon. The sparks around her calmed for just a moment. "Where is the key?"

Gildarts laughed before fishing out the key being worn around his neck as a necklace. "If you want it, come and get it."

Leora bared her fangs. "My pleasure." She signalled to Bickslow to get into position.

Bickslow seriously wanted to bail. "Are we really doing this?..." Fight Gildarts?! This was not how he wanted this exam to go. But knowing Leora, she would never back down. Resigning to his fate, Bickslow flew into the sky, standing on top of two of his babies. The others hovered around him, ready to attack. Bickslow and Leora had long worked out their plan. Seeing as Bickslow was more suited for long range attacks, Leora would distract their opponent through close combat until Bickslow found an opening.

But the moment Leora and Gildarts collided, Bickslow knew that this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it would be. First of all, he couldn't even see the battlefield anymore. A dome of pure energy burst outwards from the contact sight in a bright ball of sparks and light. Bickslow had to fly further up into the air to avoid getting caught in the explosion. When the dust settled, neither party was injured. A shiver rolled up his spine.

It didn't help that the two simply grinned at each other. Bickslow sighed. There was no doubt that they were enjoying this.

Given Leora's speed advantage, the next few kicks were in her favour. Gildarts managed to block a few, but the last one sent him crashing into a tree.

"Now!" Leora shouted.

Bickslow saw his cue. Taking advantage of the split second of confusion, he aimed his next shot right at Gildarts. "Babies! Line Formation!" A green beam of light sped down and collided with Gildarts body. The ground shook and a cloud of dust rose into the air.

Bickslow knew that Gildarts wouldn't be taken down so easily, but he was unprepared for how fast the man could recover. And how fast he could counterattack. The blast of crash magic raced towards him before he could even blink. His mind blanked with only one thought running through. "Shit!"

A flash of lightning filled his vision. Bickslow heard a sharp yelp before he saw Leora in front of him, arms crossed. She had a set of arm guards on, but those were destroyed the moment the crash magic touched them.

"Thanks," Bickslow breathed out a sigh of relief. Too absorbed in the fight, Leora didn't even have the time to reply.

The sky darkened and thunder rumbled overhead. Multiple lightning strikes hit the ground, but Gildarts dodged them all with ease. Leora flew back down and the pair exchanged blows. Each time Gildarts was blown back, Bickslow interfered with another one of his attacks. It was miniscule, but Bickslow could tell that Gildarts was starting to get affected.

With the way their clashes were going, Bickslow had no doubt that everyone on the island was aware of this battle. They were smart for staying away.

The twinkle in Gildarts' eye slowly disappeared being replaced with an air of calm. He was getting serious. Leora could sense it as well, seeing as she lowered her stance. Leora had reinforced herself with full-body armour. Even her wings had guards protecting them.

Gildarts launched a wave of disassembly magic towards her, but she deflected it with an arc of lightning. But she was unprepared for his follow-up. Bickslow's breath caught in his throat when Gildarts summoned his crash magic at point-blank range.

The resulting explosion nearly blinded the seith mage. When his ears stopped ringing and his vision returned, Bickslow immediately scanned the valley for the dragoness. She was crouched to the ground, twenty feet away. Deep fissures marked the earth from where her feet and her claws tried to hold on. He gasped when he saw her body. Her entire left side was sizzling from the attack. Gone was the armour on that side. Instead her skin was covered in deep gold scales all the way to her face.

It was terrifying and magnificent at the same time.

Leora growled amidst heavy breaths. Her eyes darkened, and her fangs bared. Her tail, having emerged, swung low in anticipation. Before Bickslow could blink, she disappeared in a flash of lightning, only to reappear behind Gildarts. It only took a split second for the man to be sent to the ground in a well timed lightning kick. Gildarts crushed the ground around him, using it as a cushion.

Bickslow managed to catch Gildarts counter. Just as he rose to his feet to turn, Bickslow sent another beam crashing down to the ground. That gave Leora just enough time to retreat. He could tell that she was getting tired, both of them were. He could see the frustration in her eyes. It was not a good sign, Leora tended to get reckless when she was impatient.

Leora raised a clawed hand, lightning gathering around it. The clouds swirled over head, filling with electricity. She was gearing up for a winner, but Bickslow knew she didn't have enough time to charge. Gildarts was already on his way. Bursting towards her, Gildarts' own hand was lit with his crash magic. Leora was down to the millisecond.

Bickslow wanted to buy her some time, but his attack would be too slow. It's too late. Gildarts was going to make the hit. He wasn't sure if Leora could take another one at point blank.

Leora's eyes went wide and her breath shortened.

Then, the air pulsed.

Something felt wrong. Bickslow's skin crawled and alarms blared in his head. His instincts drove him to retreat higher into the air, to avoid something that he wasn't even sure of.

Time slowed.

Gildarts fist was inches away from Leora when something burst from her body. It reached forward in black tendrils, curling around Gildarts' magic. It swallowed it whole, devouring the light with it.

A moment later, and the darkness dissipated into the air like thin mist. All trace of Gildarts magic had disappeared.

Which meant Leora's attack hit the S-Class mage dead on. Leora's punch followed-through in a downward manner, sending Gildarts straight to the ground. The earth gave way, forcing a deep crater into the ground with a loud crash.

When the dust settled, Bickslow knew the fight was over. Gildarts laid face up in the crater, with Leora having fallen onto her knees over him. She must've lost all her energy. The dragoness looked pale, her eyes wide and unblinking. Her mouth was open in shock.

That darkness. Bickslow had seen that darkness before.

Bickslow quickly made his way over to Leora, running towards them as soon as his feet touched the ground. At first, he was a little hesitant to approach, but seeing no more signs of that odd magic Bickslow deemed it safe enough to head over. He quickly helped Leora to her feet, noticing that she was already clutching the golden key in her hand. He did a quick check to make sure that Gildarts was alive, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw the man's chest rise and fall.

Seeing Leora's odd state, Bickslow decided it was best to leave. "Come on, let's go." He moved Leora's arm around him and helped her walk. It was a struggle, since she didn't seem to want to go anywhere.

They had taken but a few steps when Gildart's voice rang out in a forced chuckle. "That's quite the scary magic you've got there, young lady."

Bickslow paused at Gildart's words. Leora stiffened up next to him before she turned away. Bickslow took that as the cue to continue. They slowly headed back into the forest, one step at a time.

It took a while, but Bickslow managed to locate a stream. He set Leora down on a rock and went over to grab some water. Handing her the flask, he was relieved to see her taking a drink. Bickslow gave her a few minutes to recover, watching with relief as the scales all along the left side of her body reverted to flesh. He covered her with his shirt until she was capable of generating her own.

Finally, he had to ask. "What was that back there?"

Leora flinched, but didn't say a word. Her eyes stayed glued to the ground like a disciplined child.

Bickslow frowned, letting out a sigh. "…Does Laxus know?"

"…Yes."

"That darkness…is it coming from your-"

"Yes." She refused to meet his eyes.

Bickslow held back, unsure whether to pry much more. It wasn't his place. "…Are you alright?"

She paused for a little too long. "Yes." She stood up abruptly, but on shaky legs. "Let's go."

Bickslow gave Leora a wary look, but headed her request. Lifting her arm back around his shoulder, he leaned her body against his as they headed through the woods. He was glad to see her recovering, albeit slowly. Lifting his head, Bickslow looked towards the Great Tenrou Tree.

That was their next destination.

* * *

Leora glanced up at the Tenrou Tree from where she stood at its roots. Tall in all its glory, the tree was always Mavis' favourite place to lounge back when she was…here. After a few excursions with the petite mage, it too became hers. Its gentle shade brought back nostalgic memories and a smile to Leora's face.

She took a glance to her left, where Bickslow was still providing support for her body. She didn't understand why that fight with Gildarts had left her so exhausted. It was strange. Thankfully, she was recovering. She hoped by the time they reached their destination that she'd at least be able to walk on her own two feet. At least Bickslow did a great job protecting their key during the few times they were attacked on the way. His new formations with his soul dolls managed to outsmart Gray and Loke while his acrobatic skills took down Lucy and Wendy. All while she sat on the side and watched.

"So now what?" Bickslow asked. His head turned left and right, his eyes searching.

"There's an entrance underneath the tree," Leora pointed out. She knew this from her adventures with Yuri. "I have a feeling that's where we need to go."

It wasn't long before they found a set of hidden steps within a set of bushes at the base of the tree. It led underneath the Tenrou Tree's roots and into the ground. The passageway was dark and lined with stone, dirt and tree roots. There was minimal light. It wasn't a problem for Leora, but she offered up a small spark to illuminate Bickslow's path.

Further in, the path started to wind. They began to hit dead ends or multiple forks in the road.

Bickslow cursed, "We're in a labyrinth."

"Let me see if I can find a route," Leora said. She placed her palms against the walls and sent her lightning through the labyrinth. But she was halfway into mapping the layout when an opposing force of lightning clashed into hers, forcing Leora to retract her hands. The warning was quite clear. _No cheating._

"What happened?" Bickslow asked.

Leora whispered quietly, "Laxus is here." She hadn't expected to see him so soon. He had left the house a few days before in order to help with the preparations for the S Class exams. Leora wouldn't admit it out loud, but the continued silence between them was starting to get on her nerves. Even if she was a main contributor.

"Can you tell where he is?" Bickslow asked. Leora shook her head. She wasn't able to pinpoint where his lightning was sent from and the scent of the earth was too strong to locate him that way either. "Okay, we'll just have to pray that we don't run into him."

Leora nodded and they quietly continued. They needed to hurry. Other voices started to fill the silence, meaning other teams were already here.

Leora's hand was dragging against the wall, for support, when suddenly she felt something. Bickslow gave her a questioning look when she nudged him to stop, but Leora was only focused on what was underneath her hand. It was inconspicuous, and hard to see, but she felt a small hole inside the wall. She pulled out the small golden key that they retrieved from Gildarts and attempted to fit it inside the wall.

Leora frowned, "The key doesn't fit."

Bickslow gave it a try as well, but came to the same result. "Maybe there's more of these, scattered throughout the labyrinth. It'll take forever to find it, so we should start now." Leora nodded. But before they headed out, she left a few sparks hovering around the area. It was only detectable to her, and would mark the spots they have checked so they don't run duplicates.

Leora and Bickslow continued down the pathway. Bickslow took care to avoid other teams, much to Leora's displeasure, but he knew they should save their energy should they come across another unavoidable fight.

It was frustrating. After locating 4 more keyholes, they still weren't able to match the right key.

"This is ridiculous," Bickslow complained. "If only we could find the right keyhole."

Suddenly Leora had an idea. "Or…if only we could obtain the right key…"

Bickslow's face paled, "Ohh no…you aren't thinking of…"

But Leora had already started to hobble down the pathway in search of other teams. Bickslow quickly caught up, but when they rounded the corner, they ran into Gajeel and Lily. Bickslow turned to Leora with a nervous smile, but a sly grin was already spreading on her face. There was no need to fight…just steal.

Leora quickly covered Bickslow's eyes with her hand.

"What the-" Bickslow exclaimed.

Leora lit herself and the entire passage with pure lightning. Gajeel and Lily cried out and immediately covered their eyes, momentarily blinded by the light. Using her nose, Leora quickly located their key by its scent. Snatching it off of Gajeel's neck, Leora hung onto the makeshift necklace Gajeel had made which housed the key.

"Keep your eyes closed," Leora warned Bickslow. He nodded and Leora removed her hand. Leora realized that she wouldn't be able to run very far, so she transformed into her smaller dragon form and climbed onto Bickslow's shoulders. "Run. Now!"

Bickslow ran at top speed, moving in the direction that Leora pulled his shirt in.

"Hey!" Gajeel shouted. "Get back here!" But they were already gone.

After a few moments, the light died down and Bickslow as able to open his eyes.

Bickslow cackled, "That was amazing! Where is the next one?!"

Leora sniffed at the air, "That way." In and out, they weaved through the labyrinth. As they ran, Leora raked her claws against the dirt wall, releasing more smells into the air in order to mask their scent. Knowing Gajeel, he'd try to track them down.

Leora and Bickslow repeated their thievery a couple more times, robbing Juvia and Lisanna as well as Levy and Jet. They used the same tactic. Leora would temporarily blind them, steal their key and Bickslow would be her ride out of there. They caused quite the ruckus, but in the end they managed to get away with four keys.

It didn't take them long to locate another keyhole. It was on the far wall at the end of a dead-end pathway.

"Okay, let's try this again," Bickslow said, taking the first key. It didn't work. Leora returned to her human form and handed him the next one.

A familiar scent approached.

"Laxus…" Leora whispered.

"Shit," Bickslow muttered under his breath. "As much as I normally wouldn't mind seeing Laxus, today was not one of those days."

"Hurry," Leora urged. He was getting closer. They didn't have much time.

Bickslow fumbled with the key before he fit it inside, but again it wasn't right one. Leora passed him the remaining two.

"You know, I'm surprised that wouldn't be considered cheating."

Both of them turned around to see Laxus only a couple of feet away. Leora's eyes met Laxus' and they held each other's gaze for a short moment. She thought she caught hints of worry in his eyes. They swept across her body before slowly narrowing in what looked to be anger.

"What happened?" Laxus asked, his voice low.

Bickslow opened his mouth to respond, but Leora cut him off. "Nothing." It's not like he'd care anyways. She pushed herself off of the wall, standing in between Bickslow and Laxus. Bickslow wanted to protest, but Leora shot him a look, gesturing for him to continue.

"You can't be serious," Bickslow reasoned.

"Keep going, I'll buy you time."

Laxus shook his head. "Sunshine, you aren't going with him." He stood straight, arms crossed in front of him.

Something inside Leora snapped.

She couldn't pinpoint the exact cause. Perhaps it was the constant distance between them, or the obvious avoidance from Laxus. Or maybe it was his insistence on what she could and could not do. Whatever it was, it had built up, overflowing until she finally snapped.

Any sign of exhaustion was washed away by a wave of anger. "Enough!" Leora shouted. The passageway lit up in sparks. She burst forward – "Y-You're so infuriating!" – and threw a punch straight for Laxus. Laxus could do nothing but react, throwing his arms up in defense. A shockwave of lightning was released from the impact.

"O-Oi."

Leora refused to let up. "First, you burst into my life, woke me up from slumber, enslaved me!" She threw another kick. Laxus' eyes were wide from shock. "T-Then you had to go and talk about unnecessary things. Like family-" she threw another uppercut, "- and nakama!" Her tail, having emerged during the fight, swung around and hit Laxus' stomach, sending him crashing into the wall of the passageway. "Then you had to go and be kind, convince me that nakama worth the time and somehow show me that you could be my Knight." Leora's breath came out heavy, her lungs heaving, either from exertion or frustration.

"T-Then there was the time you almost died - no you did die - and for some reason, it made me scared. After time reversed itself, I thought everything would be back to normal, but then you just had to go and do u-unnecessary things." Like obtain complete dominance over her body, her senses, and now, her thoughts. Blood rushed through her body, but she never stopped attacking. It only vaguely registered in her mind that he never attacked back.

"Y-You confuse me!" Leora shouted, exasperated. "Going on about your human feelings, convincing my instincts to accept you. You even had the gall to evoke the mating rituals and to show me warmth and happiness. I didn't want to believe it – that it was just you. So, I tried to see if another human could garner the same response-"

Leora yelped when Laxus suddenly slammed her into the wall.

"What?!" Laxus roared, anger swirling in his eyes.

Leora didn't falter from his gaze. Instead she pulled her head back, and headbutted him. "Let me finish!" Laxus stumbled back in complete shock, a hand coming up to his forehead.

A small part of Leora registered some form of laughter in the background, but it was secondary to her thoughts at the moment. "It didn't work," she exhaled. She remembered that night clearly. Completely drunk on the idea that Laxus was just a phase, a physical need, Leora attempted to enter one of the establishments in town. Another bar. She knew humans would flock to her, but the moment she laid eyes on one who leered at her, Leora's body filled with disgust. It was then that she resigned herself to reality. "It was only you," she breathed, her breath coming out in huffs.

Laxus was an addiction she could no longer control. When he suddenly removed himself from her like that, it just felt wrong. And only when he came back into her life, for that brief moment the night he became intoxicated, did Leora come to realize it.

Leora growled out in frustration. "I don't know why it's you, I can't explain it, but I can't take this distance anymore." The words blurted out of her mouth faster than she could think.

"I like you, happy?!"

The moment those three simple words, her confession, left her mouth, Leora came back to her senses. Eyes wide in disbelief, she almost wanted to believe that it didn't happen. But that proved impossible since her voice was still echoing through the passageway. Time slowed for a moment. All sparks dispersed, Leora unable to control them anymore. She felt the rapid beating of her heart in her chest, growing faster by the second. More blood rose to her cheeks and her ears caught a small gasp amidst the now quiet passageway.

Leora's mind and feet started to backpedal. "F-Forget what I said." But before she could run out of the passageway in embarrassment, Laxus had her pinned against the wall.

"Never in a million years Sunshine," Laxus replied, an evident smile growing on his face. He rested his forehead on hers, seemingly exhausted. Having almost forgotten how this level of intimacy felt, Leora just stood there, relishing in his heat. Somehow, all that frustration and anger, built up from these weeks, dissipated from that one touch, that one smile.

A light cough sounded from nearby. Laxus let out a growl before turning towards the sound.

"Did you forget about me?" Bickslow pointed out. He stood awkwardly in the corner, half facing away from the two of them. A pathway had already opened up for him. One of the last two keys must have worked.

Laxus groaned, "Just go."

"I can't. You've captured my partner," Bickslow said, gesturing towards Leora. Leora was well prepared to fulfill her promise, but Laxus' firm grip on her hips kept her still.

Laxus sighed, "The last phase of the test is one person only. She would've had to leave you at this point regardless. So. Leave."

"Are you sure?"

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"Alright, alright," Bickslow said as he turned around, heading through the door. He waved a hand over his shoulder as he walked. "Play nice, you two."

The two of them waited until Bickslow was out of earshot before they regained function.

"Laxus-" But he didn't let her finish her sentence, cutting her off with a deep kiss. His hands came up to cradle her face, bringing her as close to him as possible. Leora molded into him, a light whine building in the back of her throat. She had missed this, so much. Laxus' tongue brushed against her bottom lip for permission and Leora let him in. Their tongues tangled, refamiliarizing themselves with each other. His hands moved to grip her waist tightly, as if unwilling to let her go.

But it wasn't long before they were interrupted by noises coming through the passageway.

"Come on Happy! Let's check this way!"

Laxus growled in frustration, but Leora already figured out a solution. Sparks gently surrounded them before they were transported away.

* * *

Their clumsy landing into Leora's den was padded by furs. Laxus fell backwards, pulling Leora with him with a laugh. She rolled him onto his back, legs straddling his waist. She was impatient, hands wandering everywhere. Laxus chuckled, grabbing hold of her hands and sitting up.

"Wait."

Leora growled, "I've waited long enough."

Laxus smiled and let himself simply look. Leora's deep golden eyes glimmered from the gentle flames lining the den. Her lips were slightly parted and – to his delight – slightly puffed from their earlier actions. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders like golden waves. He reached forward to give her a gentle kiss.

"Laxus…" Her claws dug gently into his palms, indicative of her patience waning.

His eyes snapped back up to hers. "…Say it again."

Leora stiffened slightly, "I've already said it…"

"One more time," Laxus urged. He needed to make sure that this was real. He gave her hands another squeeze. "Put down your pride Sunshine."

"But-" Leora protested.

"For me."

Leora paused, biting her lower lip gently. She gave it some thought before her eyes narrowed. "Just for you."

Laxus chuckled, "Just for me." He waited a little longer before she exhaled. Leora leaned forward, stopping just a hair's touch from his face.

"I-I like you," Leora confessed and it was like music to Laxus' ears. Ecstatic to hear those words not just once, but twice, Laxus closed the distance between them. He released Leora's hands and pushed her down into the furs. His heart pounded cheerfully in his chest as he deepened the kiss.

Leora's hands began to wander, leaving chills wherever she touched. The air grew dense, filled with the scent of their arousal. They had weeks worth of tension to relieve, but Laxus knew he wanted to take it slow for once. To savour the moment.

Laxus trailed soft kisses down Leora's neck, hearing her release a soft sigh. He felt her deep breaths, taking in more air than normal, and was suddenly reminded of her earlier state. Quickly removing Leora's top, Laxus gave her body a quick scan for injuries. At the time, he had felt her pain so clearly. A large part of him wanted to abandon his post, but deep down he knew she would handle it. But seeing her leaning against the wall just now, barely able to walk on her own, made the concern grow.

Laxus growled. "I thought I told you to stop being so reckless." His hands trailed against her skin, feeling for internal wounds.

Leora looked away in guilt. "I made a promise." _Stubborn dragon._ Laxus continued to move his hands. She flinched when he reached her left side. She must've seen the look in his eyes. "I'm fine."

Laxus reluctantly pulled back. "Look, maybe this should wait until-" He coughed slightly when Leora pulled on his collar, bringing him back down.

"If you stop, I will continue our fight just now," Leora warned, her voice dropping. "And you won't like the outcome." Passionate fire burned in her eyes, a testament to her vitality.

Laxus gulped, "Okay, but we're taking it slow."

Leora huffed, "Fine." She laid back down, but not before she stripped him of his shirt. Her impatience burned through her eyes.

Laxus didn't give in just yet. Instead, he lowly swirled his tongue around her nipple while his hand kneaded her other breast. He always came close, but never quite touching. He smiled against her skin when he heard the growl building in her chest. "Relax Sunshine."

"I _am_ relaxed," Leora answered through gritted teeth. But Laxus knew she was anything but. In fact, she looked like a coil ready to snap. Finally taking her nipple into his mouth, he was gifted with a low moan. His other hand brushed purposeful against her mark on the inner side of her breast. He continued, listening to every sound she made, watching every twitch, every shuffle in order to memorize everything that was her. He drowned in her scent that was growing stronger with each second.

Laxus went slow, appreciating every inch of her body as she allowed him to. He wanted to show her how much he appreciated her confession today. When he reached her core, Laxus gave a tentative lick, feeling Leora shudder moments later. He watched her carefully, noting the way her claws would dig into her furs to keep under control.

 _Now that's no fun_. He wanted to see her completely unravel, knowing it was he who accomplished it.

There was something that Laxus had wanted to try for a while now. He never attempted this with any of the women he's been with before Leora. Mostly because he knew it would harm them. But Leora wasn't like them.

Laxus rubbed a thumb against her bundle of nerves hearing Leora gasp. Then, he generated a small spark through his thumb. Her reaction was instant, sitting up with her eyes wide. Laxus sent her a smirk when he caught they way her heart beat faster and her scent grew stronger. He didn't give her time to respond when he sent another shock through. Her back arched, gifting him with a sharp cry.

She was close.

"L-Laxus…"

"Yes Sunshine?" Laxus teased, his voice coming out with a low rumble. He glanced up, catching her biting her lip. "Tell me what you want." He slipped a finger inside, feeling her clench around him.

Leora shook her head, but he could tell she was on the edge. Her eyes blazed with dark lust. He sparked another pulse through his thumb. Her voice echoed throughout the cave.

"Let go of your pride for me, Leora," Laxus encouraged. "Just for me."

It didn't take much more for the dragoness to cave. "Please! L-Let me come."

Laxus smirked. "As you wish." He slipped two more fingers inside, pumping with increasing speed. His tongue circled around her clit and he waited until he felt her tense up before he sent that final shock through his curled fingers.

Her outburst filled the cavern as her body arched into the air. Laxus didn't let her recover. Swiftly stripping himself of the rest of his closed, he plunged into her, groaning when he felt the remnants of her orgasm spasming around him.

"L-Laxus!" Leora's eyes were wide open, unfocused. But when they did focus, they never left his. He held her gaze, trying to convey all that he felt for her into every one of his actions. Every touch, every kiss, every look.

He felt himself reaching the edge not long after. He choked out her name just before she pulled him down for a deep kiss. He swallowed her cry before letting out a low groan of his own as he went over.

Pulling out slowly, Laxus collapsed to his side. Leora rolled to face him, her eyes glimmering. She smiled, leaning forward to place a kiss on his lips. "I think we've forgotten about something."

"Did we? I don't really remember." Laxus laughed when she nipped the skin of his neck. "Okay, okay, we'll get cleaned up then rejoin the exams, happy?"

Leora smiled and rose to her feet, holding out a hand to him. "Come."

Laxus raised a brow, but he accepted her gesture and followed her further into the den on bare feet.

* * *

Laxus released a sigh as he sunk into the hot spring. Leave it to Leora to forget to mention that she had one directly connected to her den. It was hidden within a chorus of trees, leaving him to be comfortably shaded by their leaves. He smiled when Leora leaned back into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her as she shifted to get comfortable. Her face pressed gently against his chest. Her soft soothing scent enveloped him like a blanket. For the longest time, he felt at peace.

He thought back to everything she said today. It was crazy how far they had come. From her trying to kill him, to her being his reluctant dragon. To her finally accepting him and Fairy Tail as nakama and to her finally accepting…him.

She had come a long way. He knew that. He understood – or tried to understand – how hard it was for her, as a dragon, to feel anything more than animosity towards him. And how much more difficult it was for her to develop – and then admit – her feelings for him.

She really had gone a long way.

For him.

It was then that certain words bubbled up from inside him. It was unpreventable. The feeling had been hiding underneath the surface for a while now, brewing in silence. At first, he wasn't sure if it was real, but when he finally admitted it, it came on strong. It often made itself known in special moments, like tonight, but Laxus had kept it down, knowing it wasn't safe to feel what he knew was real.

But this time, he couldn't contain them before they escaped.

His own confession.

"I love you."

But her response wasn't what he expected. Leora's entire body stiffened before she whipped around to face him, eyes wide. She looked distressed. Her mouth parted slightly before closing and that action repeated itself a couple times before words finally came out.

"I-I need a moment."

And she disappeared before he could even utter another word.

"Shit," Laxus cursed to himself. This was his fault. Knowing how long it took for Leora to even comprehend and admit to herself that she liked him, his outburst must have thrown her for a loop. He had no doubt that he had freaked her out. "So much for going slow," he uttered to himself. He would fix this.

Laxus groaned loud as he rose from the hot springs. Heading back into the den, he dried himself off and reclaimed his clothes before heading out into the forest to reclaim his dragon.

* * *

 _Love._

It couldn't be. He can't. Love was a dangerous emotion, capable of destroying everything.

Leora knew it was wrong to run. But she just needed a moment alone. Her heart raced in her chest as she made her way through the trees. Bursting out from the canopies, she sped upwards and towards the place that gave her comfort.

The Tenrou Tree.

As she flew, her mind returned to one haunting memory...

xXx

 _She raced through the woods, brushing off trees and branches as she followed the scent she knew to be familiar. It had been so long, months since she's last seen the blonde. And when she returned to the guild to find the woman missing, she immediately went to search._

 _Slowing down when Mavis' scent grew stronger, Leora was relieved to see the woman sitting with her back against the tree. She was about to walk out to greet her when she immediately shrunk back._

 _Was that Zeref? What was he doing here?!_

" _You look terrible," Zeref pointed out._

 _Now that she got a better look, she could see the bags underneath Mavis' eyes and the deathly shade of white her skin had become. She filled with dread. What had happened to Mavis in the time she was gone?!_

" _I haven't eaten in half a year already," Mavis breathed, hugging knees closer to her body. "But…I'm still alive…"_

 _No. It couldn't be. Mavis…she couldn't._

 _Her heart dropped._

 _Zeref frowned, "That's what the Ankhseram curse is. You wouldn't die even if someone beheaded you."_

 _She felt the world closing in. How could that happen to Mavis?! That's impossible. To share Zeref's curse. That pain…that suffering. It was too much for one person to handle, let alone another. She had first-hand experience, all those years with Zeref's struggles with the curse. It couldn't happen to Mavis._

 _She tuned back into the conversation._

" _I live to die…" Zeref said. "I want to see my brother…no…I want to destroy him…no…please destroy me."_

 _She wanted to reach out to Zeref, like all the other times she had when he had episodes like this. But she was selfish. She wanted to see the rest of this._

" _The world refuses to accept me…this world…" Zeref cried. He had fallen to his knees, hands cradling his head in agony._

 _Mavis leapt forward, bringing Zeref into a tight embrace. "But I won't! I'll accept all of you! The only one that understands how you feel is me." Mavis looked straight into Zeref's eyes. The emotion between them, that understanding, was clear. She could tell just how much they felt for each other. In a way, she was jealous, watching this from the sidelines. "So don't give up…we'll find a way to break this curse."_

 _But that was the problem. There was no way. She would know. She had spent many years, with and without Zeref, trying to search for a way to fix everything._

 _Tears streamed down Mavis' face. "Let's…find it together…"_

" _Together…"_

" _Yes…"_

" _Mavis…" Zeref returned Mavis' embrace. "You're one of the only ones to treat me this kindly…" He pulled back slightly. "It's also…the first time I've loved someone this much too…"_

 _Love?_

 _She didn't quite understand what that meant. To her, it was such a human emotion. But she watched as Zeref slowly leaned down, hands lifting Mavis' face towards him as he pulled her into a gentle kiss…_

 _She sensed the pulse before she felt it. It shot cold shivers up her spine, making its way down to her soul. It was dreadfully familiar. She wanted to reach out to them, shout to them, warn them, but for some damned reason, her voice was caught in her throat. She couldn't breathe, her heart stopping._

 _Please no._

 _Mavis' body fell backwards in Zeref's arms, her hair cascading lifelessly behind her._

 _She immediately turned around and pressed her back against the tree, unable to see another second of that sight. One of her hands covered her mouth in an attempt to muffle her choked cries. Her breath came out broken. Tears streamed down her face._

 _She didn't blame Zeref…she couldn't._

 _So, she did the only thing she could._

 _She blamed…love._

xXx

It had taken her a long time to recover from that day. It was hard to even know if she ever did recover. Not long after that, Zeref returned Mavis' body to the guild. Precht sunk deep into magic books and tomes in order to find a way to resurrect Mavis. He had tried to hide it from everyone, so as to not give false hope, but she had long tracked down Mavis' scent to that sacred room below the guild. It was then that she learned that Mavis was still technically alive.

It gave her hope. But it was soon proven to be too much for Precht to handle. He didn't succeed.

Not long after that…Yuri died. And after that she couldn't handle it anymore.

And so, she went to sleep.

Leora let out a huge sigh. The gentle breeze from the summer winds calmed her heart. She still had no idea what to do with Laxus, but she knew she couldn't run from him.

No, he didn't deserve that. Not after all he had done for her.

No, she'll head back.

* * *

Laxus searched all around the island, but he realized soon after that Leora's scent led him back to base camp by the beach. It had slipped his mind before, but it seemed as though the S-Class exams were over.

He first noticed Leora sitting next to Levy by the campfire. Her eyes immediately darted towards him, but they averted a second later, opting to stare into the fire instead.

Laxus turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Bickslow.

"Hey man, is everything all right?" Bickslow asked. His head gestured towards Leora.

"It's fine," Laxus reassured the man, even though he wasn't too sure if it was. "Anyways, did you make it?"

Bickslow smiled as he shook his head. "Nah, but you know what's better? Cana did." The seith mage turned to give the brunette a wave and a thumbs up.

"You didn't let her win because you two are-"

"Hell no," Bickslow replied, "You know me better than that. That final battle royale? She defeated us all fair and square. Can't stop that girl and her card magic. Though, you should already know this, but there were two people who passed this year's exams."

Laxus nodded, "And the second one?"

Bickslow grinned, "Freed."

Laxus felt joy at hearing one of his teammates finally achieve S-Class status. "Then I guess we'll be celebrating tonight then."

Bickslow cackled, "No doubt about it!" But then, after another glance at Leora, his face sombered. "Look, Laxus. Can we talk?"

Laxus furrowed his brows. "Sure…" They walked away from the camp and down towards the beach. "What is it?"

"It's Leora," Bickslow said. "Something happened today...when we fought Gildarts."

"Wait. You fought Gildarts?!" Laxus exclaimed. "Is that why she was so beat up?"

Bickslow held his hands up. "Don't worry we were fine. We're still both alive. Anyways that's not what I'm trying to get at." Bickslow's eyes turned towards the ocean. "Something happened during the fight…it was dark and ominous." Bickslow faced him, his eyes filled with concern. "I mean, it completely killed Gildart's magic. Annihilated, like it was swallowed up. She said…that you knew about this."

Laxus frowned. He had no doubt as to what Bickslow was describing. But it concerned him. Her black magic hasn't flared up in months. Why now? What was happening?

"Judging by your silence I'll take that as a yes."

Laxus sighed, "Ya."

"You knew about this the whole time and you didn't tell anyone about it?"

"I thought she had it under control."

"Under control?!" Bickslow exclaimed. "Laxus, it didn't look like she did."

Laxus growled in frustration, "I'll take care of it okay? Look, if this is all you wanted to talk about-"

Bickslow shook his head. "No, that wasn't it. Not the important part that is." He paused for a moment. "I'm not supposed to tell you this…I promised her I wouldn't, but I think you should really know. I think it's connected with all this."

Laxus narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"

"Leora…her soul…" Bickslow looked him in the eye. "It's broken."

It took a second for Laxus to process. "What do you mean broken?" He treaded lightly, keeping calm. He wanted all the details before he did anything rash.

"It's broken. Laxus, she only has half a soul."

Laxus grabbed Bickslow's shoulder's roughly. "What?!" So much for not being rash. "How long have you known about this?"

Bickslow flinched, "Since she first showed up." He scrambled before Laxus could get even more mad." L-Look, I know. I should've told you. But you know how its like with souls. They're incredibly personal. I shouldn't have even looked in the first place. You have to understand."

Laxus took deep breaths to calm down. "Fine. Please tell me that was all." The look on Bickslow's face clearly told him otherwise. "Just hurry up and spit it out already."

Bickslow sighed, "Alright. Just so you know, I'm not one hundred sure about this, but…you know how there's only one half of her soul?" Laxus' glare answered that rhetorical question. "Well, there's remnants of the other half still clinging on. That part of her soul gave me the same feeling I felt from her crazy magic just now."

Bickslow paused for a moment.

"It felt…demonic."

* * *

Leora glanced worriedly at Laxus' back as he opened the door to their home. He didn't bother to turn the lights on. Instead, he simply headed towards his bedroom. Leora followed silently, trying to read his body language. Stiff shoulders, tight back and slightly clenched fists. Was he angry with her? He was silent the entire ship ride back. She knew it was partially due to his transportation issues, but something changed in his demeanor after his talk with Bickslow.

She was fearful for what had been said.

Or maybe it was because she had run off? Leora didn't know. It was at times like this that she didn't really understand what Laxus was thinking.

Leora had resigned to returning to her room when Laxus' voice cut through the silence.

"Come."

Leora followed silently, with each step growing heavier. She stopped in front of his bed, letting him guide her down until she sat back on her heels in-between his bent knees while he leaned his back against the headboard. She gasped lightly when he pulled her into a tight embrace.

She didn't understand.

"You're hiding something from me."

Leora stared into Laxus' chest, contemplating on how she should respond. She had an inkling as to what he was talking about, seeing as he had talked to Bickslow last.

"…Yes."

Laxus surprised her with his next words. "You don't have to tell me." Leora pulled back slightly and looked up at Laxus with widened eyes.

"You aren't angry?" Leora whispered.

"A little disappointed yes, but everyone has their own secrets."

"One day," Leora blurted, "one day, when I'm ready."

Laxus gave her a soft smile. "Alright."

She felt the weight crushing her chest starting to lift, but there was something else Leora wanted to clear up. "Also, about today—"

Laxus shook his head. "No don't worry about it, that was my fault."

"No," Leora said, "I just…need more time." She wasn't ready to be mated. There were still so many things she needed to accomplish before she added another layer of complexity to her life. But she saw understanding underneath the happiness that bloomed in his eyes. She let out a breath. "I don't know how all this works. I-I've never done this before."

Laxus chuckled, "I would hope not." She couldn't hold her glare for long after he grabbed hold of her hands in her lap.

"I don't know what to do." What happens after this? Did humans have courting rituals?

"Just keep being you," Laxus answered. "Nothing has to change." He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. "Come on, we've had a long day." He pulled them down onto the bed. "Sleep."

Leora snuggled herself into his embrace and closed her eyes. She couldn't help but find this position familiar, but that thought slipped from her mind as she grew tired.

She did hold onto one thought though.

Laxus may have said that nothing will to change, but Leora knew better than anyone that something already has.

And she didn't mind at all.

* * *

 ** _A/N: I know it's been forever since I've updated and I apologize. It was a mixture of writers block and life that got to me but I finally churned out this chapter. I've been picturing this for a while now, so I'm glad I could finally get it into words. Just another step forward in their crazy relationship._**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	31. Arc III-31: Broken soul

**Chapter 31**

Leora's walk to the guild with Laxus the next morning was slightly different than before, but she couldn't quite pin down why. She became more observant, which was saying a lot since she has analyzed the entire market before, with Evergreen that is. No, this morning was a different sort of observation.

She had always picked up on small cues when it came to humans. It was what led for her to push Levy and Gajeel into their relationship. But that was mostly centered around scent recognition and hormone cues. Today, she wanted to know what it was like from a human perspective. So that morning, Leora couldn't help but watch other human relationships along the street, analyzing their facial expressions, their hand placements and their body posture. In particular, she noticed a strange couple walking in front of them. The boy had short shaggy hair and the girl had long, dark waves tied up into a ponytail. They walked side by side. The boy occasionally stole glances at the girl, who was busy staring at the jewelry in a nearby stand.

Leora looked to Laxus next to her, but his eyes were browsing the weapons collection at the shop they were in. She turned back to the couple and raised her brows. It was subtle, but the boy kept brushing the back of his hand gently against the girl's. The girl may have looked like she didn't notice, but Leora caught the slight stiffening of her shoulders with each brush. At one point, Leora had gotten close enough to even hear her pulse quicken.

 _Interesting._ She didn't know a mere hand touch could cause such reactions in humans. Leora looked down at her own hand. Wiggling her claws a little, she directed her gaze towards Laxus'. It hung by his side, relaxed. Slowly Leora reached forward, and like the boy, brushed the back of her hand against his. She jolted when Laxus grabbed hold. Her gaze snapped up, but the dragon slayer was currently engaged in buying a lacrima from the magic shop. She glanced down at their intertwined fingers and then back towards the couple in front of them.

It appeared the boy still hadn't achieved his objective. But she watched as he lifted his arm, slowly, to just around her waist. But the girl leaned forward to inspect a skirt on sale, which prompted the boy to immediately retract his hand. A blush spread across his face.

Leora looked back to her hand. Then at Laxus' waist. She lifted her hand slightly, as to imitate what the boy was doing, but quickly realized that the logistics wouldn't work. She frowned. She had another free hand, but – she twisted to try – it didn't work either.

Something interesting had happened by the time she turned back to the couple. The girl took hold of the boy's hand. Their fingers intertwined, and then the girl weaved her other arm around the boy's.

Like the other times, Leora attempted to recreate the image in front of her. She pulled herself closer to Laxus and weaved her other arm around his. She considered her new position. _Well, this doesn't feel comfortable._

"What the hell are you doing?"

Leora turned her gaze upward and caught Laxus' amused smile. Out of habit her eyes flickered back to the couple, and this time Laxus followed. He howled with laughter when he saw what she was trying to do.

Leora jumped back, a flush reaching her cheeks.

Laxus chuckled, his eyes full of amusement. "Sunshine, what did I say about being yourself?"

"But this is one of the human courting rituals? Isn't it something you'd want?"

"Not if it makes you uncomfortable Sunshine," he said, ruffling her hair.

The flush darkened. "Alright." But she did grab his hand again. "But I don't mind this." She smirked when his face started to match hers.

Laxus looked the other way. "L-Let's just head to the guild."

* * *

It didn't get much better once they were there. Eyes were on them in seconds, homing in on their intertwined hands. Thankfully, most had enough decency to keep their mouths shut. Just raised brows and muffled snickers. Laxus took quick notice and steered the dragoness towards the second floor where his team was waiting. Leora plopped herself down next to Freed and Ever. They sent Laxus sly smiles, and Bickslow laughed and slapped him on the back.

"Shut up," Laxus grumbled. Mira came by with a mug of beer and could barely hold her giggles in. Gajeel snickered by the corner of the guild and Levy gave Leora a small smile.

Leora cocked her head in confusion, but then a piece of paper on the table caught her eye. "What's this?"

"Oh, we were thinking of taking a job," Freed said.

"We haven't done anything together in a while," Ever added. "It's been boring only doing small jobs."

Laxus took a quick scan of the request and nodded. "Sure, let's do this."

Bickslow howled with excitement. "This will be fun!"

Leora picked up the request and frowned. For some reason, the location of this job sounded familiar. West of Magnolia, almost to Fiore in a village called Magna. Has she been here before?

"Leora?"

The dragoness caught Laxus' questioning look, but she shook off the feeling and followed them out of the guild.

* * *

The village of Magna rested off the main roads. Tucked inside a dense forest, it was separated from regular civilization. Their folk lived in small huts and carried around their water in large clay pots on top of their heads. They watched their newcomers with curiosity and a healthy level of skepticism. Laxus asked the first villager he saw where the chief was. The young lady, clad in a long skirt and sleeveless top, pointed towards the large hut at the very center of the village.

The chief was delighted to see them, greeting them generously with local fruits and tea.

"We weren't expecting to see anyone this soon," he said, sipping from his teacup. "We're very glad that you've arrived."

"What exactly is the problem?" Laxus asked, getting straight to the point.

"Our village is a calm one," he said, smiling softly. "We don't see much activity nor many strangers in the area. However, lately, there's been rumours of shadows in the forest, drifting towards the cursed tombs in the forest."

"Cursed tombs?" Freed asked.

The chief nodded. "Our village has watched over these tombs for centuries. It's said that many years ago a great evil was housed within the tombs, chained to keep its powers in check. But the evil escaped, spreading death and decay over the lands. The tombs are what remain and no sane person would dare to enter."

A weight settled in Leora's chest. One that threatened to crush the air straight from his lungs. This story sounded very familiar.

"So, you think someone is trying to get in?" Ever asked, bringing Leora back to the conversation.

Bickslow snorted. "Who would be stupid enough to do that?"

"Demons. Evil beings alike," the chief said with heavy eyes. "Only they are willing to enter such a dreadful place. We've sent scouts as far as they would dare to go, and they come back, reporting hearing low chants and murmurs from inside the tomb. Evil supplies power to evil. Perhaps they wish to summon something even worse than the first." The chief started to get agitated. "They need to be stopped!"

"Don't worry," Laxus reassured."We'll take care of it. Where's this tomb?"

"It won't be hard to find." The chief pointed to behind his hut and into the forest. "Follow the path of the dead. It will lead straight to the tomb."

 _The path of the dead…_

Leora's claws dug into her palms.

* * *

"Do you think what the chief was saying is real?"

Bickslow snorted, ducking underneath a tree branch. "Demons? Highly doubt it. It's probably just a group of dark mages attempting some strange ritual. Cursed tombs? They love that stuff."

"I agree," Freed said. "But we should be careful regardless."

The woods behind the village were dense and the air was dry. It didn't long for them to locate the path of the dead. It was hard to miss. Black, dead leaves and grass littered the ground, pointing in one direction. The Raijinshuu led the way, followed by Laxus and Leora. Laxus looked to Leora with slight concern; she had been silent the entire journey, her eyes only focused on the black path.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," she whispered, but she was trembling. He felt the fear seeping through their closed bond. By the time they reached the tombs, she was completely pale. He reached for her, but she recoiled. He frowned, but the gasps from the Raijinshuu made him look up.

The sight of the tombs left Laxus speechless. He didn't believe the village chief when he first talked about the cursed tombs, but now he did. The path of the dead turned into an entire wasteland that surrounded the base of the tomb. Nothing grew. The yellow stones at the base of the tomb were scorched black. The air was stiff and empty, as if not even scent could survive. Death hung in the air.

"What is this place…" Ever whispered in horror.

Laxus didn't know, but Leora seemed to have a clue. She had trailed farther behind the group whilst they were walking, and by now, she didn't want to take a single step further.

"No…" Leora whispered underneath her breath.

"What is it?"

But she didn't answer, shaking her head back and forth. Laxus turned to the black trail. The feeling of death he currently sensed felt so familiar to him, but he didn't want to believe what the back of his brain was telling him. He didn't want to believe that it felt just like Leora's magic.

Laxus didn't have time to sort out his thoughts. Within seconds they were surrounded by a group of dark mages.

"Took you long enough," one of them said. "He said you'd come if we prayed hard enough."

The Raijinshuu went into battle positions, standing back to back. Laxus narrowed his eyes. "Who's he?"

"The devil," another dark mage replied. She turned to Leora and pointed at her. "And you, the golden haired one, are his sacrifice."

Laxus growled, pulling Leora closer to his side. She was still unresponsive and didn't say a word. "Don't you dare."

"It's not up to you."

Clouds of shadow burst onto the scene and cut off the light of the sun, casting darkness on top of them. A strange scent permeated the air. The moment he inhaled it, Laxus' body felt heavy and his head light. He called out to Leora and the Raijinshuu, but before he could find them, he fell unconscious.

* * *

Leora opened her eyes to a dark cave that smelled of iron. _Where am I?_ All she remembered was a sickly-sweet scent before she fell unconscious in the field outside the tomb. _The tomb!_ Her heart raced. But amidst her panic, she heard footsteps, many of them. Confused, she tried to move towards the sound, but quickly realized that her limbs were restrained. Her wrists, chained together, had her hanging from the ceiling. She struggled, but all she heard was rattling of the chains. Even with her strength she couldn't break them apart. Unwanted memories resurfaced to the forefront of her mind.

"You're awake."

She turned to the voice and her breath hitched. "Rhaegal? What are you doing here?"

"Do you remember this place?" He asked solemnly, stepping closer. Dim lighting from lit torches cast a warm hue over his raven hair. His wings were spread out behind him, keeping him hovering in the air in front of her.

 _How could I forget._ Underneath the smell of iron was the strong scent of flesh and decay. Of death. Darkness hung over each morsel of dust in this place. She started to shiver. This place was their prison. The one that held her and the dragon in front of her for twenty long years. Tortured and tormented daily.

"Ill take that as a yes. Just underneath here was where we sent decades of our life. Trapped, helpless and alone. You destroyed the underground caverns when Zeref freed us, but this place-" he gestured towards the main cave – "happened to stay intact."

"Why did you bring me here?" she hissed. A part of her wanted to hide, to avoid thinking about what had happened here.

"I don't like it anymore than you do," Rhaegal admitted, "but it's a necessary evil for what I hope to accomplish. There's so much hatred and fear in this place. _Our_ hatred and fear. Don't you feel it? It's making you agitated, isn't it? Filling you with darkness."

"What are you trying to do?" Leora asked, gritting her teeth. He was right. She was absorbing the negativity like a sponge. It was a bad sign.

"You'll find out soon enough."

That was when Leora associated the smell of iron to that of blood. She looked down. Right underneath her was a large pit filled with the fresh crimson liquid. The footsteps she heard belonged to a long string of humans wearing dark hoods. In an organized line, they each passed by the pit, cutting their wrists to release more blood. Nothing about this felt right to Leora. She glanced out into the crowd. _Where's Laxus?_ Panic surged in her chest.

"Where are they? Laxus, the others? Where did you take them?" she demanded.

"Calm, sister," Rhaegal said. "They're perfectly fine." He waved a hand and a group of the hooded figures dragged out the dragon slayer and his friends, all still unconscious.

Leora snarled. "What did you do to them?"

"Just a little sleeping spell by one of these talented mages. You're a little less affected, but that's fine with me. I need you awake for this. They'll stay perfectly fine as long as you cooperate."

"What do you want with me?"

Rhaegal lifted a hand to her cheek, caressing her skin softly before Leora turned away from his touch. She didn't miss the hurt within his eyes. "You've grown pale. You've dreamed long enough. It's time to wake up. I've finally found a way to save you."

"I told you I didn't need saving!"

"Liar!" Rhaegal roared. "You know that's untrue. Stop playing games with your humans."

"I'm not playing games!"

Rhaegal looked more exasperated than angered. "You'll come back to your senses soon enough."

It was then that Laxus and the others began to stir. Leora whipped her head towards them, calling out to them. "Laxus!"

"Leora?" Laxus asked. He tried to get up, but the other mages held them down. A quick shock of lightning solved that problem. With the help of the Raijinshuu, they managed to make it through a few waves of dark mages, but as soon as Rhaegal held a claw to Leora's neck, they had to stop. Laxus howled, "Let her go."

Rhaegal smiled. "In a moment." He turned to the hooded figures. "Hurry it up!"

The line moved faster. More blood flooded into the pit, the sweet scent wafting into her nostrils and making her shudder with hunger. Against Leora's will, her mouth began to salivate and her fangs lengthened.

"What did you do to them?" Evergreen shouted, watching the mages with horror.

"It's amazing how powerful faith can be," Rhaegal said with a small smile. "I've done nothing to these people except feed their faith. They believe in demons. I'm just giving them what they want."

Then the sound of chanting filled the cavern. It started as a low murmur amongst the followers, but quickly grew into a steady hum.

"What's happening?" Bickslow asked, his eyes darting all around him. The dark mages started to congregate around the pit, continuing to chant.

"It's a summoning spell," Freed said, horror lacing his words. "…for a demon."

"They wanted the strongest," Rhaegal pointed out. "They prayed for the Mother of all demons. Lilith."

"That's impossible!" Leora shouted.

"Lilith? Summoning such a high-level demon would require hundreds of times as much blood," Freed said. "This is a fool's errand."

"Of course," Rhaegal said. "Only a blood war would generate enough for such a summon. But that's alright. I'll present them with the next best thing. There's only one high demon out there that only needs this much." He said, gesturing to the pit. He tilted Leora's chin and glanced into her eyes. "Because its already got a body in this world."

Fear ran through Leora's veins. Her chains clashed against one another as she struggled with renewed vigour. "No! You don't know what you're doing!" The chanting continued. One particular syllable caused the blood to burst up and Leora cried out in pain. Her chest felt as though it was swelling.

"Stop it! You're hurting her!" Laxus cried.

Rhaegal's roar was just as deafening as it was unexpected. Within heartbeats he was across the cavern, having slammed Laxus against the wall, claws tightening around his neck. "Hurting her?! It's her foolish fantasies with you humans that's killing her!"

"W-What?"

"Rhaegal don't!". _Don't tell him._

"She's _dying,_ " Rhaegal growled, baring his fangs. "All because she wanted to play house with you humans. You think you know her, but you know nothing. Millennia turned to centuries because she refuses to put her soul back together."

Laxus' eyes snapped up. "Is this true?" The Raijinshuu turned to her as well, but she couldn't meet their gazes. She turned away. Laxus lost his will to fight.

Rhaegal motioned for the mages to finish. The chanting quickened and the air began to thin in the cavern.

"Rhaegal you can't! You can't complete the spell!" Leora pleaded. It was missing a component. The most important one. She had no idea what would result from an incomplete spell.

"Watch me," Rhaegal hissed. "The spell is almost complete." He shouted to the dark mages, who had gathered in anticipation. "I couldn't bring you the Mother of demons, but I have the next best thing."

Leora could bare to face Laxus and the others when Rhaegal spoke his next words.

"Her daughter."

She heard their gasps even over the chanting.

"With her name lost to time, arise from the depths of hell..."

Leora had almost forgotten. It was a name her Mother had long told her not to gift to another, for names held too much power. _She_ held too much power.

A tear streamed down her face.

"Lilin!"

The blood shot straight into the sky like a geyser before dissipating like mist. A cloud of darkness gathered inside the cavern. It blocked out the light, no, rather, it completely destroyed it. Any sort of vegetation in the cavern started to turn black before crumbling into ashes. The dark mages in the room cried out in pain, choking on the air before collapsing to the ground. Their deaths were imminent. Sacrifices to the demon.

Leora's chains disintegrated and she fell. Her wings caught her just in time. The darkness gathered in the middle of the cave, swirling like a dark mass before pushing and expanding like a dying supernova. Her eyes widened. Just before the darkness exploded, she rushed over to Laxus, knocking him and the rest of them to the ground and spreading her wings out wide. She protected them all – including Rhaegal – as death erupted.

Leora cried out in pain as the explosion hit her wings. Death ate away at her flesh until there was nothing left of her wings but bone. It was a price she'd pay a million times over. In the back of her mind, she knew the dark mages in the room would be no more, having been decimated by the blast.

* * *

Laxus couldn't hear anything else but the beat of his heart ringing in his ears. His head spun. He looked to Leora, but all he could see were her wings, looking like they belonged to a fossil instead of a living dragon. He could feel her pain so clearly it made him want to vomit. He wanted to reach out to her, but his arms refused to function, lacking enough strength to even move. He looked out amidst the commotion and froze. Something walked out of the darkness, with feathered wings as black as night. Her face and her body looked just like the one he loved. Except her hair and her eyes were black as opposed to gold.

It was terrifying.

 _What is happening?_

He was knocked out of his stupor when Leora collapsed on top of him. "Leora," Laxus called out with concern. Her face was twisted in pain and her breathing became erratic. He tried to hold her to him, but she managed to push herself up before she turned to face the demon. Her wings shuddered, her bones rattling against one another. It was painful to watch.

Beside him, Rhaegal was on the ground, looking utterly shocked. "This wasn't supposed to happen…"

"I told you it wouldn't work…" Leora heaved, taking a heavy step forward. She kept her eyes trained on the demon, who was finally noticing them.

 _Lilin._

A crooked smile broke across her face when she caught sight of Leora.

"My, my, my," she said. A quick flap of her wings and she was immediately in front of Leora. "Isn't this a pleasant surprise." Before Leora could respond, Lilin had her up by the neck. "How long has it been? Two hundred years?"

"Don't!" Laxus shouted. He tried to get up from the ground, but whatever was in the air was choking him, weakening him. He looked to the Raijinshuu, but they were still unconscious.

Lilin's eyes shot towards him. "Humans? After all this time, we're still playing with _humans_?"

"Don't hurt her!" Laxus shouted.

Lilin's laugh was close to a cackle. "Hurt her? Don't you know who I am?" Her eyes pinned him to the ground, darkening with each breath. "I _am_ her. _We_ are one." She must have caught his confusion. She turned her head towards Leora. "Oh, you never told your precious humans what you did? How you tore yourself apart because you were ashamed of me."

"I-I wasn't," Leora choked.

"Then why did you seal me away?!" Lilin screamed. The walls shook with weight of her voice. "Have you any idea how frustrating it's been to be trapped in hell all these years? Yearning for the light once again? And after all this time, I thought you'd finally come to your senses, but no!"

Lilin dropped Leora to the ground and walked towards Rhaegal. Laxus thought he'd be glad, but instead, Rhaegal looked afraid.

"You want me back right? Brother?" She ran a hand down Rhaegal's face and he shivered. "That's why you called for me. You'll put us back together. We're just missing one last thing."

Rhaegal looked surprised.

"Where's Zeref?" Lilin asked, spinning around as if looking for the man. She lifted to the skies and flew around the entire cavern. "Where is Zeref?!" Rocks crumbled down from the force of her bellow.

"He's not here," Leora said.

"You fool!" Lilin shouted. She held out her palm towards Rhaegal and a blast of darkness erupted from her hand. It was but a foot away from the dragon when Leora instinctively moved her arm to block its path. Just like her wings, the flesh from her hand and her forearm arm was eaten away, leaving only bone. Rhaegal's face was a mixture of fear and astonishment. He crumbled to the ground in terror.

Laxus called out to Leora. His heart twisted just looking at her injuries.

"I'm fine," Leora said, flexing her boned hand. Fire burned in her eyes. "She can't kill me."

"You're right, that body is important to me," Lilin said. "But I don't mind collecting a few more scars."

Laxus couldn't stop staring at Lilin. That darkness he was feeling from her – he wanted to deny it – it felt like the darkness that spread from Leora each time she lost control. There was no mistaking it. Whatever was in that other half of her soul – the part that was missing, was right in front of him. Taunting them. No wonder Leora wanted to hide her away.

The air was starting to choke him. His body ached and he felt weak. He attempted to get up, but only succeeded in stressing out his body some more. He hacked out what little air he managed to take in.

Leora turned to him with worried eyes. "Get out of here. I'll take care of this."

"You're crazy Sunshine if you think I'm going to leave you alone with this-" He would've said monster, but he just remembered that this demon was a part of her.

Leora winced, probably knowing what he was about to say. "Just go. They won't last much longer." She was looking at the Raijinshuu. Their faces were pale and their breaths weak.

Laxus gritted his teeth. She was right. Any longer and their lives will be at stake. He gathered up whatever was left of his strength and his pride and picked up teammates. He started to run towards the entrance of the cave.

"I'm not done with you yet," Lilin snarled. She sent a blast of energy towards the cave ceiling. Rocks fell and blocked the entrance. Laxus immediately leapt backwards to avoid being crushed.

Leora turned with gritted teeth. "Rhaegal! Get them out of here."

"Why would I-"

"Three hundred years ago, I lost control. Do you want a repeat?"

Rhaegal flinched.

"If you don't want to witness that again, then take them away." Her glare was intense. "You owe me." She raised her bony arm.

Rhaegal turned his head away in shame. With a shiver of his body he transformed into his dragon form, just large enough so he could carry Laxus and Rajinshuu in his claws. He sped towards the blocked entrance and with one roar of his power, the rocks gave way.

Lilin sent another blast in their direction, but a shot of lightning blocked its path. The resulting explosion shook the entire cavern.

"You're fight is with me," Leora growled.

Laxus barely had the strength left to breathe, but as he was carried away, he prayed to Mavis that Leora remained safe.

* * *

The golden dragon burst forward, fighting claw against claw. Blasts of energy ricocheted off the ceiling, causing the cave to vibrate. Light fought against darkness and for a while, neither one of them gained any advantage.

The black demon turned to her with a scowl. "You weren't like this. _We_ weren't like this. We were great! We didn't fear anyone, taking what we pleased. What was so wrong with that?" The cave was collapsing. Stone fell from the ceiling, but neither dragon nor demon gave a thought.

"That wasn't life," Leora said, dodging another attack from the ground. She had no strength to fly. "That was destruction. We're better than that. Don't you want a life where people cared for us? Instead of running away in fear?"

Lilin flinched. She flew back on her feathered wings, clutching her arm. "Zeref cared for us."

"Yes, he did. And – at the time – he cared for humanity. He wanted us to stop, but we couldn't. It was the only way."

"No it wasn't. I don't care! I'm not going back to hell. If you won't become one with me then I'll just head on by myself."

"No! Wait," Leora pleaded. She couldn't let her go. It would mean utter destruction on the world. She needed to something, anything. And when she landed on her only option, she took in a deep breath before voicing it. "I'll give you what you want." She would make this sacrifice, if it meant protecting the others. She believed in her own power.

Lilin paused, slightly surprised. "Really?"

"Yes." Leora walked towards her, her wings painfully dragging along the ground. She raised her boned hand and rested it against Lilin's cheek. The demon really was her. A carbon copy made of the greatest evil. "We'll be one again."

A smile graced Lilin's face for just a moment, until it was replaced by shock. Her dark eyes shot down to the boned arm now protruding into her chest.

Leora wasted no time. Against her best wishes, she started absorbing the demon half of her soul back into her body. The darkness filled her very veins and pulsed erratically against her own heartbeat. She shuddered as power surged through her.

"But what about Zeref?" Lilin asked naively. "We need him."

"We don't need him, not for this," Leora answered softly. _I only need to seal you._ Lilin's essence was wavering.

And when Lilin realized that their souls were not mending, she shook her head and tried to pull away, but Leora had too strong of a grip on her body. "No! You lied to me!"

Without the final piece of the spell, Leora's soul won't completely combine. For now, Leora placed faith upon herself to keep her demon soul locked away. This time within her own body. Her two halves were inside her again, but they were kept apart. For now.

"Why…" Lilin choked as her essence wavered. She no longer had the power to keep a physical form. "Why do this to yourself?"

"It's the only way to keep everyone safe."

A tear ran down the demon's face as she flickered in and out of existence. "I just...wanted to be whole again."

Leora looked away. She squeezed a hand against her chest, speaking only to the cold wind. "I'm sorry…I'm just not ready to wake up."

She slowly walked out of the tomb, watching solemnly as the rest of the caves collapsed in on themselves, forever burying the darkness within it. Laxus ran to her as soon as she came out of the tomb. He caught her when she collapsed into his arms. "You're okay," Laxus sighed in relief. He buried his face into her hair, taking in deep breaths. "You're okay."

"The others?"

"They're a little beaten up, but they'll be fine."

Leora let out a sigh of relief. She wanted to stay forever in his embrace, but there was one last thing to deal with. Stepping gently out of Laxus' arms, she walked towards Rhaegal, who was standing silently nearby, watching her. Even though the rest of his face didn't show it, there was relief in his eyes.

He didn't retaliate when she struck him with her uninjured hand. He looked away in shame.

"Why do you never listen?" she asked, pain lacing her voice. She trusted him, but he threw that in her face.

"I only wanted to do what's best."

"You've done enough," Leora said. "Go." She was thankful when he didn't put up a fight.

When Rhaegal was out of sight, Laxus walked up to her. "Why'd you save him?"

Leora gripped her boned hand, the one she sacrificed for the dark dragon. "Because I'm the one that's being selfish."

* * *

The next few hours passed by in a blur. As soon as they stepped foot in the guild, they were rushed to infirmary. Mira and Wendy fussed over them all for the rest of the evening and were finally let go when night fell. Laxus and the Raijinshuu were deemed okay, but Leora's wounds would take a few days to heal, despite her healing capabilities. It wasn't a surprise given the demon's powers. It was a price Leora was willing to pay. She didn't tell Laxus about what she had done in the cave and he didn't ask. Something she was grateful for.

But she wanted to at least give him _some_ answers.

He gave her a confused look when she sat him down on his bed. She crawled in between his open arms, sitting back in her heels. Her boned wings rested gently on the bed sheets. They had been too painful to recall. She struggled with how to start.

Laxus seemed to understand. "Sunshine, if you don't want to…"

"No, I do," Leora reassured herself. "I want you to know who I really am." She stared into her lap. "Centuries ago, the dragons were at war. My father, wanting to gain the upper hand against Acnologia, decided to try something no one had done before. Summon the Mother of demons: Lilith. They all thought it was a fool's errand. But my father utilized all the blood that had seeped into the earth from the war. To everyone's surprise, it was a success. But high demons can't walk on this earth without an anchor. So, my father became hers, even though it caused him pain each and every day. Keeping hold of a demon's soul wasn't an easy task.

"He originally intended to simply use her against Acnologia, but to his surprise, he fell in love with her. And her, him. Eventually, they had me. The uncanny mix of dragon and demon. Never before seen. He hid us away from the world – from Acnologia – to protect us, and went out to fight him himself. You know what happened then.

"When Zeref found me, I was still so young my demon powers hadn't settled in. But with time, they grew stronger. I couldn't handle it. I didn't think I needed one, but I couldn't handle my powers without an anchor."

Laxus inhaled. "Then that means…"

Leora exhaled. "I lost complete control three hundred years ago." She remembered that day as if it was just yesterday. "I leveled an entire island. Nothing grows there even to this day. In order to stop me, Zeref knew what he had to do. He asked for my name."

"Your name…" _Lilin._

"My mother gave me that name on the day I was born. _Daughter of Lilith_. She made me promise to never give that name to anyone else."

"But you gave it to Zeref." Laxus hands tightened into fists.

"I didn't have a choice." Zeref was the only one that could've helped her. She trusted him.

She glanced up and noticed the knit in Laxus' brows. "You're angry."

"No," Laxus said, but she could see the tightness in his jaw.

A weight settled in Leora's chest, but she continued her story. "Zeref anchored my demon half to his own soul. It made the most sense at the time. Even with the intense pressure, Zeref couldn't die. We for another hundred years, and over the course of that time, I killed thousands. I felt no remorse. But somewhere along the road, Zeref started to care about humanity. He felt guilty. He started to push me and Rhaegal away for our actions and in order to keep what we had, I let him tear me apart in order to stop my cravings. Using a spell he crafted himself, Zeref split my soul in half and sealed my demon soul into hell."

It had been the most terrifying pain she had endured over the course of her long life. Indescribable agony that only last a split second, but would define her measure of pain for the rest of time.

"And now you're dying," Laxus said, after a minute of empty silence.

"I-It's an exaggeration," Leora said. "I still have plenty of centures left."

Laxus gripped her arms tightly. "You're supposed to live _forever._ "

"I-"

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"What would you have done?"

Laxus growled in frustration. "I don't know. Something? I thought we said no more lies."

She flinched. "It was an omission."

"Doesn't make it better," Laxus bit back. He leaned back, letting go of her arms. At that moment, all he could picture was the demon with Leora's face. No, she _was_ Leora. A small part of him had known she was hiding something from him, but never in a million years did he think it would be something like this.

He watched her, his eyes following her fingers fiddle with the bed sheets, focusing on her right hand. He wasn't an idiot. He was aware of what she had done in the past, how many innocents she's killed. But that was in the past. The problem was, the demon he saw today, that was the present. That demon wiped out a hundred dark mages in that dingy cave with just her entrance. _That_ was Leora. If he wanted her to continue living, that being had to return to Leora, to complete her soul. What scared him the most was that he didn't know if she'd be the same being he fell in love with. If things would ever be the same.

His head hurt.

"Say something," she whispered. Her hands gripped the bed sheets, trying to hold onto anything. "Please."

"I…I need some time," Laxus murmured before he rushed out of the room.

Leora stared at the door for a long time after it was slammed shut. A tear rolled down the side of her face.

"You said to me that you didn't care…"

That one night, when he came into her room, intoxicated, he had said to her that he didn't care…

Her heart twisted and her bony fingers gripped at her chest. Her pain and sorrow was causing the darkness to stir and grow inside her. The demon half of her soul was fighting for control and she didn't know how long she could hold on.

And if Laxus rejected her, she didn't know if she'd want to.

* * *

Laxus was a coward. He knew. He spent an entire week avoiding Leora because he couldn't muster up the courage to deal with his conflicting feelings. Every time he saw her, his mind would superimpose the image of the dark-haired demon over her. Because they looked exactly the same. It was painful. But not as much as the pain he knew he was causing her. After failed attempts to get him to speak, Leora eventually holed herself up in her own room, healing in solitude. The Raijinshuu kept hounding him to check up on her, but he was too afraid. He didn't know what to say.

So, like always, he avoided confrontation. Laxus and the others took to smaller jobs to pass the time. Today they visited 8-Island to aid Yajima-san with his restaurant. It was supposed to be an easy job. Laxus was sent off to gather supplies for the restaurant while the Raijinshuu helped with the preparations. It was meant to be a quick trip to the market, but a few distractions may have gotten him lost. On his way back, a newspaper caught his eye. He almost gasped at the headline. _The Council was bombed?!_

The entire council headquarters. Everyone inside, dead. Something didn't feel right to him. He hurried back towards the restaurant, but by the time he arrived, it had already been torn apart by chaos. The ground was littered with broken glass and splintered wood. Yajima was being held up by his neck by a hooded man.

Laxus instinctively responded, sending a bolt of lightning forward. The man dropped Yajima to the ground.

Freed, injured, but still fairing alright, looked up at him from the ground. "Laxus!"

Anger tore through his body after seeing the state of his friends. "Who is this?"

"He's from Tartaros! He's after Yajima-san's head!" Evergreen shouted.

Tartaros? As in from the Baram Alliance?

Having had enough of the conversation, the hooded man tore his apart his cloak revealing a body covered in fur.

"You are…not human?!" Laxus exclaimed.

The monster didn't respond, instead bursting forward with a fist surrounded by harsh wind. Laxus dodged the attack before launching his own, using his lightning speed to his advantage. After a short while, it was clear the demon lacked the ability to keep up.

Laxus materialized behind him. "Looks like you drew the short straw…" Raising both his fists in the air, he slammed them down on the demon's skull. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" A crater was left in its wake.

The Raijinshuu celebrated his win, but a part of Laxus was concerned at how easy it was. One of the three guilds of the Baram Alliance and this was the guy they sent?

"Maybe we should take him to Fairy Tail?" Freed suggested. "Perhaps interrogating him there would be the prudent thing to do."

"Fairy…Tail…was it," the demon said.

Laxus was shocked that the demon could still speak.

"We didn't factor in humans being capable of his type of destructive force…so this type of damage output wasn't a variable in our equation. Looks like I'll have to sacrifice one of my lives…"

"One of your lives?" Laxus said. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The demon chuckled. "You're the one who drew the short straw…remember that…human…"

Before Laxus could even comprehend his words, the demon erupted into tiny, black particles that swirled into the air.

"What's with this black mist?! It's getting thicker…"

The demon's voice echoed in the air. "These are magical barrier particles…they feed on the ethernano in the atmosphere and contaminate it…"

"That means…not only is our magic weakened…but all magic users caught in it will slowly become poisoned," Evergreen managed to say.

Everyone started to cough, their lungs burning from breathing in the particles.

"Try not to inhale anymore!" Freed shouted.

But Laxus refused to listen. "Over my dead body." He refused to let any of his teammates get hurt. Not like this. He was a dragon slayer. A Knight. He was better than this. He opened his mouth and welcomed the magic barrier particles into his body. "Dragon slayer's lungs are unique…I'm going to inhale all of it." _Anything to keep you guys safe._

"S-Stop it…Don't!" Freed shouted.

"Take them all home," Laxus said, giving Freed a weak smile. "That's a direct order." The last thing he thought of before falling unconscious was a golden-haired goddess.

"Laxus!"

* * *

At first, Leora wasn't able to tell whether it was her own pain, or something else. But then it felt as though her organs were being eaten from the inside out. The pain was immeasurable.

The bond was calling to her. Crying, screaming. It wasn't her pain. Something was wrong. Laxus was hurt.

Leora tore out of the house and took to the skies on shaky wings. She followed the pull of the bond towards the town and was shocked to find it covered in magic barrier particles. She felt her soul pulse in response. Magic barrier particles were related to demon particles, and right then, her soul was calling to them. Leora flew as fast as she could to get away. She couldn't let them absorb into her body. No, the darkness would only grow. Another pulse of pain caused Leora to refocus. She had to get to Laxus.

She didn't care what he felt for her at that moment. She didn't care whether he loved her or whether he was disgusted by her. All she could think of was getting to him and making sure that he was okay. She made it to the guild within the next minute and ran towards the infirmary, bursting through the doors. Almost the entire guild was in there. They turned to her with faces of shock before they melted into sadness. They all glanced at Laxus. Her eyes followed theirs.

Leora felt as though she had been punched in the gut. Laxus was lying on the infirmary bed, sweat dripping down his forehead. His face was twisted in pain. Pain that she could feel so clearly.

"What happened?" Leora demanded. They all remained silent. "What happened?!"

"Quiet child," Porlyusica dared to say. Her eyes grew solemn. "They've inhaled too many particles. To say it's a potent form of poison is an understatement…even a pinch of it is fatal in most cases. I'm not sure they'll make a full recovery. Especially Laxus. With the amount of internal damage he's suffered, by all accounts, he shouldn't still be alive."

Leora felt the air being knocked out of her lungs. She pushed past the crowd near the entrance of the infirmary and rushed to Laxus' side. She knelt down and pressed her hand to his chest. "I can fix this," she whispered to herself. "I can fix this." She repeated it over and over again, using their bond to attempt to heal him. But it wasn't working. The particles were doing damage at the same rate that she was healing. It was impossible.

But Leora refused to stop, even after a few of the guild members tried to pull her away. "No! Let go of me!" She crawled back to his side. "I can fix this," she rambled. Only when she felt a shaking hand on her arm did she pause.

"I-It's okay," Laxus said, wheezing.

Leora shook her head profusely. "No, its not okay. I can fix this."

"Leora-"

Leora could sense the magic barrier particles travelling inside his body. If only she could get rid of them somehow. Then she jolted, having thought of something. She wasn't sure it would work, and she knew what the consequences were, but it was worth it. She moved closer and gently tilted Laxus head backwards.

"What are you doing child?" Porlyusica asked, concern written all over her face.

"Fixing things," Leora said. She opened his mouth and pressed her open lips against his. Then, she inhaled. She felt the instant surge of particles into her body, and she was forced to stop for a moment as she coughed. But she continued. She kept going until she could take no longer, feeling her body gleefully accepting the particles and feeding the darkness inside. Her demon soul rattled against its cage, growing agitated.

"Stop," Porlyusica said, as if she knew what was happening.

Leora leaned back, her breathing erratic. She glanced down at Laxus and felt relief blooming in her chest when she saw the slightest bit of colour return to his cheeks. It wasn't much but it was something.

Porlyusica was shocked. She went over to feel Laxus' pulse and smiled. "He's stable, for now." He had fallen asleep, breathing much more regular than before.

Leora collapsed to the ground in relief. Levy rushed over to steady her, murmuring words of relief and happiness into her ear. They headed out into main hall to give the injured some space to rest. Once there, Leora grabbed onto Levy's arm. "W-Who did this?"

Levy frowned, her hands balling into fists. "Tartaros…"

Darkness flashed in Leora's eyes. _Tartaros._ She hadn't expected to hear the name of that guild again, let alone allow them to hurt one that she cared for. "Where are they?"

"We don't know," Levy whispered.

"I need to find them." Leora moved to leave, but she felt Levy holding her back.

"Wait, you can't go," Levy said. "It's too dangerous."

"Levy's right," Erza said, stepping forward. "We know neither their objectives, nor the location of their headquarters. All we know is that they are targeting ex-council members."

"Then we should start by heading out to the homes of the former members," Gray offered. He leaned against the bar, crossing his arms in thought.

"I know a few locations," Loke offered. A few of the guild members were less than pleased to hear _why_ he knew where the former councilmen lived.

"Then we'll split into teams," Makarov ordered, after some thought. "We'll need to protect the former council members from Tartaros' attacks."

"If you run into the one with the magic barrier particles, the one Laxus faced. Do your best to bring me a blood sample back," Porlyusica added. "They might be out of the woods for now, but we'll still need to create a vaccine as a cure."

Makarov stood up and shouted, "We will put all our bonds and pride on the line, and eliminate all our family's enemies!"

The crowd roared and everyone dispersed into their teams to get ready to move out. Leora moved to follow, but Makarov asked her to stay. "It'll be better if you stay by his side," he said. But she knew it was more than that. She was unstable, engulfed by fury. They didn't want her to rush head on into danger.

Given the constant surveillance on her person, Leora had no choice but to stay behind. She slipped back into the infirmary and stayed by Laxus' side, silently tending to his needs. While she was wringing out a wet towel, she listened in on the conversations in the main room, paying attention to where each member's location was. While she was getting water for Laxus, she was mapping out routes to each of their homes. And while she rested her head next to Laxus' sleeping body, she planned her strike.

Leora refused to sit by and wait. No, she was going to find the one who did this to Laxus and the Raijinshuu.

And she was going to tear them apart.

Her fury fed the fire inside her soul. The darkness continued to spread, turning her heart cold. And when night fell and the others went to sleep, she stood up from her seat by the bed. She leaned over and placed a kiss upon the dragon slayer's lips. She burned the image of his pain twisted face into her mind, using it was fuel for her rage before walking silently out the door. The next morning, she followed two mages from the sky, trailing behind them as they rode away from the guild and through the woods with haste. She sat back and watched as Fairy Tail's two strongest women walked into the humble abode of the former chairman of the Council. She listened in on their conversation and smelled the tea they were serving as its scent wafted out into the wind. Her nose twitched.

Then she watched as soldiers surrounded the house, but she did nothing, hiding well within the cover of the trees. She watched as Erza and Mira fought off the soldiers with grace and power. And then she watched as their bodies weakened from the concoction in the tea before collapsing to the ground. She didn't raise a hand to help as the two women were carried off by the chairman. No, all she did was follow.

Because at that moment, all Leora cared for was finding Tartaros.

 _Using any means necessary._

The wind picked up, blowing through golden hair. And if one paid close enough attention, they would see that one strand had turned black.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I'm deeply sorry for taking so long. It became a mixture of writer's block, work stress and other stuff, but I've finally managed to churn out a chapter. Thanks for sticking with me. Thanks to those who reviewed with encouragement!**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	32. Arc III-32: To be human

**Chapter 32**

The sky was cloudless. The air thin and devoid of moisture. The sun blazed overhead like it was any other day, but it wasn't. Above the cube, the birds didn't fly, as if they could sense the darkness around it. But one figure did approach the ominous structure with a raised brow. She hadn't known what to expect of Tartaros, since she had forgotten them for centuries. But this, a citadel on what was essentially a floating mini-island, was not what was on her mind.

After heartlessly watching the kidnapping of Erza and Mira, Leora had followed the fat human from the air, knowing he would bring her to where she wanted. He didn't disappoint. The cold chill that settled over her heart was still present, and the darkness that wrapped around her soul only drove her forward.

She landed on the upside of the cube, just outside of the castle. The moment her feet touched the ashy dirt, she received more than a warm welcome. Armed guards surrounded her, foolishly believing their pointy spears could do more than scratch the surface of her body.

"Halt intruder!" One of the men were brave enough to approach her. The fear in his voice was delightful. "H-How did you manage to get onto Tartaros property?"

She snorted in contempt. She lifted her hand, cracking her claws. A blink of an eye and chorus of screams later and the grounds were painted red. Blood dripped from her claws. Those that were still alive scrambled to get away. She turned her eyes on them, electricity crackling over her skin.

A calm voice broke through the crowd. "Twenty rewritten stories are more than enough, don't you believe?"

The new guest calmly walked towards her against the scrambling crowd. Her dark hair glistened and her pale skin glowed in the moonlight. Twin horns graced the top of her head. The demon snapped shut the book in her hand and looked at Leora with a soft, knowing smile.

Leora narrowed her eyes, recognizing her. "Seilah."

Seilah bowed low and gestured towards the castle. "We were waiting for you."

Instead of fighting, Leora followed the demon without a blink of an eye. Despite her instincts urging her to tear the entire castle apart, Leora kept patient, waiting for her true target.

* * *

Her footsteps echoed against the stone floor as she approached the throne room. Characteristic of Mard Geer to construct himself one. He always seemed the most…controlling of them all. The demon sat on his gaudy throne made of skulls and vines with his head resting against his fist. In his other hand, he cradled a book, but she could only see its back cover. He stood when he saw her and he too made the effort to bow. Others in the room repeated the gesture.

"We've been waiting."

"As I've been told," Leora said. She continued to stand, and as such, no one else took a seat. She scanned the participants in the room, snarling when she didn't see the one she wanted. "Where is he?"

"Who, may I ask?"

"Don't play with me," Leora replied, her voice raising. "Where is Tempester?!" Fairy Tail never told her the name of the culprit, but she knew only Tempester could release that high a level of anti-magic particles.

An odd laugh sounded from her right. Franmalth stepped forward. "After that Fairy Tail brat disposed of him, Tempester has taken a slight break to recuperate. I wonder how much that would be worth?" The sound of his scream followed by the sweet sizzle of an electrocuted victim tickled her senses. _So much for patience._ The only thing that kept her from killing the demon was the knowledge that Tempester was somewhere here. If she slaughtered everyone, there'd be no one left to show her where he was.

"Bring me to him," she demanded.

"In due time, in due time," Mard Geer reassured, with a casual wave of his hand. "Is it too much for us to catch up? Ah, by the way. The pair that was brought in by the Chairman, where are they?"

Seilah bowed her head to report. "They've been brought into the care of Kyoka."

"Ah…how pleasant." Mard Geer turned to Leora. "They were the pair that you followed here, were they not? From Fairy Tail? I was assuming you'd be a little more…concerned for their safety."

Leora was a mixed bag of feelings and heavily influenced by the darkness swirling inside her. A little voice spoke in her head, telling her to forget about them. "They are not my problem. They can take care of themselves."

Mard Geer's booming laugh filled the throne room. "Such confidence in your guild members."

"I have more pressing matters at hand."

"Ah…because of your human? I didn't think the Demon Lilin would have use of one."

"Don't call me by that name," Leora hissed, though her demon soul purred in delight.

"Of course, of course. As you wish." Mard Geer gestured towards a side door in the room. "Before I take you to our friend, we would like to show you something."

A part of Leora wanted to protest, wanting to get to Tempester in the shortest time possible. But the other part knew something was going on here. And what loyalties she had to Fairy Tail made her feel obligated to find out. She nodded silently and followed.

The room Mard Geer brought her to was round like she had walked into the inside of a sphere. A small walkway stretched from the hallway to halfway into the room. At the end there was a large station full of holographic screens flashing with moving text. In front of the screens stood a man she recognized as the Chairman.

"What is all this?" Leora asked, her head tilting upwards to capture it all.

The Chairman laughed arrogantly. "Why, this is the control panel for FACE."

"FACE?" She remembered hearing that term back at the guild, but she had been so focused on Laxus that she didn't pay attention to the conversations held outside of the infirmary.

Mard Geer answered, "It's one of our keys to finding Zeref."

 _Zeref?_ "What do you mean?" she asked, cautiously.

"A magic pulse bomb. A detonation so powerful that ethernano in the atmosphere is destroyed in a mere second."

Alarms rang in Leora's head. "That would mean magic deficiency disease for all the mages."

"Exactly," Mard Geer said. His eyes had darkened with glee. "Magic is what's limiting our Curse power. When we wipe out all the magic in the land, we'd be able to gather enough energy to revive our Master."

"Your…Master?"

"Yes," Mard Geer said with a smile. He turned the book he carried in his hand and it was then that Leora recognized it. Three letters where inked in on the front cover. "Master E.N.D."

"That's…impossible."

"There is no such thing as impossible. You'll be our first witness. When we revive Master E.N.D. we can all return to Zeref." Excitement flickered in his eyes. "As a family."

Leora shook her head profusely. "You can't do this." To destroy all magic in the land meant practically death for all mages. For Fairy Tail. For Laxus. A growl resonated from her chest. Her claws flexed as she glanced up at the control panel. But the moment she sprang forward to destroy the whole thing, she felt a small prick against her neck. _A needle?_

"I was hoping you would understand...I didn't want to resort to this method," she heard Mard Geer say. Her vision started to blur and her limbs grew heavy. She couldn't move. Her body started to sway and she fell backwards into lean arms. Then she felt something snap around her wrists."I thought you might seek to destroy it. But we can't let you do that."

Darkness swam in her eyes.

"Let me go!" Leora shouted. She tried to lift a clawed hand to strike, but she found herself with no more strength.

"You can't leave," he whispered. "We've all been waiting for you for so long…" His hand trailed gently against her cheek. "You're our final key to returning to Zeref…

"Mother."

All that was left was darkness.

* * *

Laxus came to with a groan. He felt pain everywhere. Knives stabbed at his lungs with each breath he took. He tried to sit up, but a gentle hand pushed him back down onto the infirmary bed.

"Please, Laxus-san, you need to rest." It was Wendy's voice.

Laxus' eyes darted around, but he couldn't find the only person he wanted to see. "L-Leora." Mavis, his throat was dry. "Where is she?"

Wendy rushed to grab him a glass of water, helping him drink some before she answered his next question. "U-Uh. Leora onee-san…s-she's gone."

"What do you mean gone?!" The stress caused him to hack violently. He coughed out blood, much to Wendy's alarm.

"Laxus-san, please you need to relax! Leora onee-san, she-she was so angry that you were hurt. She left in a hurry saying she'd find the demon who did this to you. Porlyusica-san said that she needed its blood, in order to craft a cure." Wendy looked down at her hands, which were twisting into the sheets. "I-I'm sorry. No one could stop her. She was just so…angry."

A sinking feeling filled Laxus, enough to drown away the pain for just a moment. He couldn't feel her. She had closed off the bond to him, but even then, he could sense something dark lingering around her. He was scared. He had no idea what she would do, but more importantly he was worried _for_ her. Here she was again, putting her life in danger just to save him. Even after he failed to give her a proper answer. He had run away after hearing her confession, after learning about her demon side. He felt so guilty. In the bottom of his heart, he knew he didn't care, but why couldn't he say it to her then?

He just hoped it wouldn't be too late.

 _Please be safe,_ he said, hoping she would hear him.

She didn't respond.

Wendy left soon after to join the guild in discussing how to handle Tartaros. Laxus laughed at himself in pity, pathetic and injured. He was useless to the guild right now. He hated it.

He couldn't even do anything when he felt the sudden burst of light rip through the guild. _An explosion?_ Before the upcoming pressure could hit him, Laxus felt his body twist and pull as a familiar magic passed through him.

 _Cana?_

He fell unconscious.

* * *

Fairy Tail was gone, reduced to rubble in a spectacular show of light and sound. But all was not lost. No, the war had just begun. Under the cube, Fairy Tail's members had reassembled, having been saved by Cana's card magic after Elfman exploded the guild. They charged, fighting against the soldiers of Tartaros.

Fighting for Fairy Tail.

* * *

She faded in and out of consciousness like the waxing and waning of a tide. All she could feel was a strange, slimy wetness against her skin. Through blurred vision, she made out the sight of tall glass pods, rows upon rows of them in front of her. Most were empty, but she couldn't help but focus in on one. Inside, a half-formed body of demon laid. She saw his face and growled.

 _Tempester._

She let out muffled shouts. She tried to move, but her hands were tied up above her. She kicked out but her foot hit glass. It didn't take her long to realize she was in one of the pods herself. Her struggle must have attracted attention for long, slimy tentacles attached themselves to her body, immobilizing her.

Then she felt them. Like tiny pearls of darkness being pumped in masses through her veins, feeding her demon soul.

 _No…No I don't want it! I don't want it!"_

Her body struggled against her bonds, but whatever was holding her didn't yield. The demon particles kept feeding into her veins, having a pulse of its own, slowly tainting her.

The sounds of muffled screams reached her ears.

Then the pod started to rumble.

* * *

 _"It's noisy outside huh…FACE must have been activated."_

Inside the underground lab, another demon started to stir. Her ears casually picked up on a shrill laugh.

 _"Well, down to business. It's time to screw up this pretty little face. Hahahaha."_

The voice continued to laugh, irritating the demon's ears.

 _"Hahaha! How does it feel to be filled with demon particles? From here on, you'll be hideous. Hideous! Being reborn is horrible, isn't it? Horrible!"_

The demon particles continued to fill her veins, but instead of corrupting her…it gave her strength.

The laugh came again.

 _...How annoying._

Mira's eyes snapped open with a crazed glare. With a burst of her power, the glass pod shattered. Liquid spewed onto the lab floor and shards of glass flew everywhere.

"W-What?! What in the world!"

"My apologies," Mira said, stepping over the debris with a dark smile. "I already have demon particles. I need it to use my Satan Soul." She looked down at the small, short-haired bunny-eared demon standing in front of her pod. "Thanks to you, it's been revived."

The demon shrilled as Mira struck her, sending her flying across the room. Brushing her hands and finding a set of clothes to put on, Mira wandered around the lab. She was about to turn the corner when she heard someone shout her name.

"Mira-nee!"

Mira turned around. "Lisanna?!"

Lisanna barreled into her for a hug. "I'm so relieved."

"What are you doing here?"

"Natsu, Erza, Elf-Nii and I got caught," Lisanna explained. "Natsu and Erza are safe…all that's left is Elf-Nii."

A soft voice interjected from down the hallway. "That person has not been caught."

Alarmed, the two sisters turned to find a female figure with long, dark hair and two horns upon her head.

"Be careful!" Lisanna shouted. "That's Seilah. She can control people!"

"After all the commotion, I figured I should come down and check on the lab," Seilah said. "As…unpleasant as it is for you to escape, better you than someone else."

"What do you mean?" Mira said, warily. She watched the demon like a hawk as she headed into the row beside them.

Mira followed and gasped when she saw who was inside one of the liquid pods. "Leora…" The dragoness was naked, strung up by her hands and floating in liquid inside the pod.

Seilah leaned up against the glass of Leora's pod. "She's beautiful isn't she." The same tentacles that had attached themselves to Mira were all over Leora's body. Mira could sense the mass amounts of demon particles that were being pumped inside. Leora's body was pulsing and the tips of her hair had turned pitch black. It was horrifying.

"Release her," Mira demanded with a hiss.

"I can't do that," Seilah said, turning to her. "She's too important."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, she never told you? Well then again, she does look a little different from what I remembered. It must have been what made it hard for us to locate her in the first place." Seilah dragged hand soft hand down the glass. "She's our Mother."

Mira froze. "W-What?"

Seilah smiled. "We of Tartaros are demons of the Books of Zeref. Written by Zeref himself. But we weren't given life until we were given the blood of someone important. The blood of a true High Demon." She smirked at Mira's shocked face. "Don't be so shocked. You can sense it, can't you? The demon force that settles in her soul."

"No, Leora's not like that, she wouldn't!"

"Maybe not in your time," Seilah said, "but we were created centuries ago, for the sole purpose of serving Zeref. Over time we lost him, and then our Mother. To think she's in such a pitiful state right now..."

Mira could hardly believe it. Did Laxus know all of this? "Then why do you need her!"

"Because, if we awaken her, restore her back to her true form…Zeref would return."

Mira shook her head. She couldn't let that happen. "I won't let you."

Darkness fell on Seilah's face and a sharp chill ran through the lab. "I have already been disgraced by your brother in front of Kyoka-sama for failing to kill even a single soul. For destroying and ruining my reputation, I'll be taking my revenge. Starting with you and your sister as compensation."

Mira felt the demon side of her smile. "You? Take my sister? Heh…"

The two demons clashed. Seilah with her mind-control curse and Mira with her Satan Soul. Debris and dust flew everywhere, but even after several blows, not a scratch was on Seilah's body. Mira couldn't even touch her.

Meanwhile, Lisanna was stuck in battle with the shrill bunny-eared woman. Lamy laughed even as she was fighting neck-and-neck with Lisanna. "There's no point," she said. "Even if you kill us we'll just revive ourselves."

"Revive?"

"Yep! This place is Tartaros' respawn point," Lamy said, gesturing proudly to the pods around her. "Hell's Core. Because of a contract we made with our demon king, if we lose our bodies, we are reborn in this place. We are an immortal guild!"

"Loose lips, sink ships, Lamy," Seilah scolded.

"That would be quite bothersome indeed," Mira said. She glanced around the room. "It looks like priority number one is to destroy this place."

"Do you seriously believe you're capable of that?"

Mira shot her a mischevious smile. "Piece of cake." With a flare of her power, the pods began to explode simultaneously. Glass and liquid burst out. Ezel and Franmalth, both of which had just returned to the core, were destroyed with it. Leora's body flew out of her pod, falling to the ground in a heap.

"Leora-san!" Lisanna shouted. Mira watched with concern as Lisanna ran over to the dragoness. After checking if Leora was okay, Lisanna gave Mira a thumbs-up. "She's breathing."

Mira sighed in relief, refocusing her attention on the demon in front of her.

"How did you…" Seliah looked around in horrified awe.

"Before you showed up. I took control of this tentacle demon thing," Mira explained with a smirk.

"Is that why my macro doesn't work on you?!"

"Same for you," Mira admitted. "I thought I could take control over you, but it seems my takeover has no effect."

"Which means," Lamy said, dramatically from the sidelines. "This battle will be decided by physical damage alone!"

"Looks like we'll be butting heads," Mira said. "Quite literally. How...unladylike." A flare of her power and she turned into Mirajane Sitri.

Seilah wasn't shaken. Instead a small smile rested on her face. "I evoke an order…"

"That's not going to work-"

"My limiter…RELEASE!"

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open to the sight of broken glass and a stone floor. Loud explosions reached her ears. She took in a huge breath, surprised to feel air in her lungs yet again. She was sprawled out on the cold floor, arm stretched out in front of her, naked.

She looked out, finding a raging battle between two demons taking place in front of her. One human, one artificial. _What is going on?_

She moved to stand, but her legs crumbled on her. She heard the sound of clanging metal when she fell back onto the ground. _Metal?_ She moved her hands and it was only then that she realized something heavy was around her wrists, binding them together.

A pair of metal shackles, attached together by a small linked chain.

Complete horror filled her veins and choked her when she realized what they were. _No…not these again._ She tried to call for her powers, her strength, but she felt nothing. Empty. _How is this possible?!_ The last pair was destroyed by Zeref, there couldn't have been more. A myriad of emotions ran through her brain now that she had less control over them. Grasping her head in her hands, she cried out.

Her cries attracted Lisanna's attention. "Leora-san!"

Mira shouted while blocking Seilah's books, "Leora get out of here! We can take care of this!"

Her blood had gone cold in realization. Without her draconic or demonic powers, she was left with the strength of a human. She struggled to her feet, leaning against the remains of one of the glass pods. They told her run. _But, there's something I must do first._ Her eyes darted around desperately trying to find something. "Where is he? Where is Tempester?!" The pod she had seen him in was now empty.

The shackles were holding back the influence of her soul, meaning the darkness was held at bay for the moment, but it didn't stop her from feeling rage. One of the strongest human emotions.

Seilah lips curled into a dark smile. "Tempester has already left. You won't find him here."

"Go!" Mira said. "Find him. We'll take it from here."

Leora managed a small nod before she stumbled down the hall and out of the room. Seilah tried to stop her, but she was immediately blocked by Mira. Without glancing back, Leora headed out on her search. She felt nauseous, dizzy and disoriented. This was worse than the time she had the slave mark.

Her legs trembled with each step. It wasn't long before she found inside a winding hallway. Her senses having been dulled, she didn't notice the fallen soldier until she tripped over him. Her hands barely caught her body as she fell to the ground. She hissed. Pain radiated from her knees and the palms of her hands. She sat up. Blood was dripping from where she landed. She was bleeding from a mere scrape.

"So, this is what it's like to be human…" Leora said with a sarcastic, pitiful laugh. _Powerless and weak._

All the memories resurfaced at once. The dungeon, the torture, the feeling of helplessness and fear. She curled up on herself, trembling in terror. She clutched her head trying to get rid of the memories.

She was scared.

 _Laxus…save me._

She wanted to call out to him, to hear his voice, but she couldn't feel anything and sensed practically nothing. And if she was being honest, she didn't even know if she wanted to. She didn't want him to see her like this, to feel her fear.

A voice suddenly materialized in her head.

" _Everyone. Can you hear me?"_

 _Warren?_

" _Mira is safe. We've met up with her."_

Leora felt slight tension release from her body after hearing that.

" _Elfman and Lisanna are here too."_

Then someone else's voice continued. Lucy.

" _Wendy and Charle have stopped FACE! They've crushed the enemies' plans!"_

No. It wasn't that simple. She had seen what was in that room. All the red dots on those screens. There were more. She needed to warn them. But no...what could she even do? She was human, and weak. She was useless to them. There were more words exchanged, but Leora could barely concentrate on the conversation. Then, out of nowhere, a sharp screech cut out all the voices. Pain shot through her mind. Her hands came up to cradle her head.

A voice, one that she was familiar with, continued with the conversation.

" _Mage guild Fairy Tail, was it? I'm demon king, Mard Geer. But you don't have to remember that name. You imbeciles won't even live to see tomorrow."_

There was a slight pause. Then a shiver went down Leora's spine.

" _Allegria."_

Leora gasped as the ground started to shake ferociously. She watched with shock as a dark sticky substance washed through the hallway towards her. It swallowed up the bodies of the fallen soldiers, hardening into a solid mess of bodies. She tensed as it came up to her, but it seemed to ignore her presence, continuing down the hallway. Screams and cries for help filled her ears, but all Leora could do was watch, stunned.

Then, there was silence. No shouting, no nothing, just hollow silence. Leora glanced around finding the bodies of soldiers frozen in place.

It surprised Leora when she felt a faint glow of warmth in the far distance. It was a familiar light, like a soft beacon amidst the darkness. She looked down at her shackles. _Maybe I didn't lose everything after all. But...what's the point._ Leora stayed on the ground, her arms wrapped around her knees. There was nothing she could do, she repeated to herself.

Mard Geer's voice returned to her head. _"Members of Tartaros._ _Allegria has eradicated all the intruders. Operation FACE is progressing as planned. However, the details escape me at the moment, but a single individual has managed to slip through_ _Allegria_."

Her eyes lowered in sympathy. She knew who that individual was. And she was alone.

" _The soldier that kills this straggler will attain the title 'Nine Demon Gates'. If a member of the Nine kills the escapee, they will receive a reward from Mard Geer. Oh, and this is extended to the first one to find our dear Mother."_

Leora trembled in fear. If she stayed here, she was bound to be caught. But she couldn't bring herself to move.

A cry sounded from down the hall. But it wasn't a cry of fear or terror. No, it was a battle cry. One filled with determination.

Leora looked up, glancing down the hall for three long seconds. Her memories tried to weigh her down, showing her clips of twisted humans kicking and screaming at her. Telling her how weak she was. Laughing at her uselessness. But then she heard the cry again. After two more seconds, she bit her lips, pressed her hands to the floor and pushed herself to her feet. She continued to replay that battle cry in her mind, using it to give her strength to move her feet. One human step at a time.

She winced each time her foot stepped on something sharp. She knew she was trailing blood behind her but she didn't care. She moved towards the feeling of warmth and the feeling of hope.

 _Lucy._

At the end of the hallway came a set of stairs. It was a struggle to maintain her balance with her hands bound in front of her as she climbed up. She could already feel the bruises beginning to form from every time she slipped and fell. It was frustrating.

At the top, she came out onto a rocky ledge that looked out over what seemed to be a river that formed inside the castle. What remained of Allegria had formed an arched pathway from her ledge to the other side. There were sounds of a commotion from upstream, but she had to worry about that later. No, right now, she had a slightly bigger problem. One that came in the form of a blonde-haired demon. One that turned to her in shock as soon as she stumbled onto the ledge.

"Jackal."

He had stood on top of the archway, overlooking the river as if he was waiting for someone, but now his attention was towards her. "Mother…"

Leora took a step back, but she knew it was useless to run in her state. The sound of her chains rattling reminded her of that enough. She glanced at his face. She didn't know what to expect from such an explosive personality as Jackal's, but excitement and...happiness was not it. He was in front of her in a split second, his hands grasping onto her shoulders.

"Mother," he said, a smile breaking on his face. "They'd said you were here, but I didn't believe em. Granted I was still in the tank when you arrived."

Leora tried to maintain composure, but it was tough to reign in her emotions with this human body.

"Why'd you wait so long to show up?"

"I-"

"Why'd you abandon us in the first place?"

"Jackal-"

By now, his face was mere inches away. But he pulled back a split second later, shaking his head. "Nah, you're right. We can talk more later. I should get you back to Mard Geer."

Leora's eyes narrowed. "I'm not going back, Jackal."

Now it was his turn to look wary. She didn't miss the way his claws dug a little deeper into her skin. Not enough to cause true pain, but enough for her to know that she wasn't going anywhere. "What do you mean?"

"I'm looking for Tempester."

"What for? Wait, is this for that damn Fairy?" Jackal tipped his head back for a laugh. "I heard about that. Got him good, if you ask me. Why'd you want to help him?"

Leora gritted her teeth. Listening to Jackal's careless approach to human life was staring to make her angry. Angry enough to give her a little more strength in her bones. "Because he's special to me."

"That Fairy?! That human?" Jackal didn't seem to be able to grasp her logic. "What'd you need him for when you have us?"

"Jackal-"

"No," Jackal replied, his voice lowering. "Those Fairies must have done something to brainwash you. They'd said you might run. It's why we scrounged the country looking for another pair of those." He pointed to the shackles on her wrists. He grabbed hold of the chain in between her shackles. He tugged at them, causing her to stumble forward. "Screw it. I was gonna wait for the loose Fairy, but I'm gonna take you back to Mard Geer right now." He started to pull her across the archway to the other side.

"No, let me go, Jackal," she said, angrily. She struggled against the chains, but she didn't dare pull too hard. One slip of a foot and she'd fall into the river.

"Let her go!" The voice came from the river. Leora looked down to see Lucy coming down on a wooden board. A better look saw Lamy drifting down beside her and Torafuzar not far behind in the water. Two of her gates were opened: Loki and Virgo.

Lucy's whip snapped towards them before any of them could react, wrapping tightly around Jackal's wrist. In his confusion, his grip loosened around Leora's chains, allowing her to slip away.

Jackal didn't seem to care. Instead he just laughed down at Lucy. "Looks like someone forgot what my curse could do."

Before Leora could warn Lucy, the explosions came. They travelled down Lucy's whip, until one of them blasted Lucy into the water.

"Lucy!" Leora shouted in concern. She looked out over the straightway, but couldn't locate Lucy underneath the water.

Jackal turned back to her. "Mother, I'll come back for you. Gotta deal with a nasty Fairy problem first." Before she could stop him, Jackal started to set explosions in the water. Lucy's toughened screams filled the air.

Against all logic, Leora leapt for Jackal, startling him enough so he'd miss his next shot.

"O-Oi! What are you doing?" Jackal said with a hiss. Leora tried to hold on, but it was no use. Her human body was too weak. Jackal shook her off, throwing her to the ground. She hissed in pain and frustration.

 _Too weak..._

But when she looked out over the river, she was surprised to see Lucy unwilling to give up, kneeling in the water, holding up a third key. _Impossible._ Even for a mage like Lucy that was too much. She had expected Lucy to give up, to give in to fate, like she did, but no, she kept fighting. In a flash of bright light that illuminated the entire floor, Aquarius materialized, catching Lucy as the mage collapsed.

Aquarius took control of the water and shoved Jackal off the archway and into the river with a water cyclone. It just barely missed Leora, who was holding onto the archway to avoid falling in.

"Lucy, that's enough!" Loki shouted over all the commotion.

 _Why?_ Leora wondered, breathing heavily from the exertion. _Why doesn't Lucy give up?_

It was no use anyways. Torafuzar swam straight through the water cyclone, bashing into Aquarius. The water spirit cried out in pain in the same moment that Jackal reached behind Loki and Virgo, blasting them back into celestial world.

"Loki! Virgo!" Lucy cried out. She collapsed in exhaustion on the shore just below Leora's ledge. The three demons made their move, surrounding Lucy.

"Let's finish her off quick," Torafuzar said.

"Nah, that'd be boring," replied Jackal.

Lamy giggled. "Yeah! We need to make her suffer more."

Leora could only watch, knowing she could do nothing. She waited for Lucy to give up. It was something she would've done. But all she saw in Lucy's eyes was pure determination. The celestial mage struggled to get to her feet, even though Leora knew she barely had the energy to even move. _Why are you trying so hard?_

She didn't understand.

The three demons foolishly argued as to how they would deal with Lucy, somehow ending up with Torafuzar leaving and Jackal blowing up Lamy's head. Jackal was the only one left. He raised his claw up, the energy gathering in his hand. Leora panicked, knowing Lucy didn't have the energy to move.

She didn't know what came over her, but she knew she needed to do something. In the peripherals of her vision, she saw Aquarius heading back to Lucy. She just needed to give her enough time. Glancing around in panic, she found a small rock nearby.

The rock was so insignificant, but it created a world of difference.

Picking it up in both hands, she threw the rock down as hard as she could. It smacked Jackal right in the head, making him lose concentration for one split second. It was enough time for Aquarius to reach Lucy, grab hold of the injured mage and send another water cyclone to push back Jackal. The demon roared in frustration.

Leora listened in shock as Aquarius explained to Lucy what she needed to do. _Celestial Spirit King Summoning._ _She wouldn't…the sacrifice for that would be too great._ One gold key.

Lucy cried out in denial, tears streaming down her face. "There's got to be another way!"

"We're running out of time!" Aquarius urged. "You have to do it!"

"I can't…" Lucy sobbed. Leora felt her heart squeeze. "I don't want that…I don't care if you hate me. I love you Aquarius…I love you. You were my very first friend."

"How long are you going to act like a spoiled, naïve little brat?! Right now, you are the only one that can save your friends!"

 _Friends?_ Right, Leora had forgotten about those. Blinded by her anger and desperation to find the one who hurt Laxus, she seemed to have forgotten all about the others she cared about. She failed to protect Mirajane and Erza. Failed to protect Lucy…

She was so foolish.

The lingering darkness inside her soul wavered for a moment, clearly affected by Lucy's light.

"What's important right now? Memories? Keys? Guilt?!" Aquarius continued to shout. "No! It's the power to save your friends! The power of a celestial spirit mage! Now do it! Destroy my key! Do it! Lucy!"

Lucy's enraged cry filled the cavern as she held Aquarius' key in one hand. Tears streamed down her face.

Leora felt it. The pain, the sorrow, the anguish. Lucy felt all this pain, yet she kept going. Even though she was weak as a human…she kept going. Even if she had to sacrifice what she loved…she kept going. She didn't give up.

 _Ah. So, this is what it means to be human._

Leora closed her eyes, a tear streaming down her face as she listened to Lucy's ultimate sacrifice.

"OPEN! Gate to the Celestial Spirit King!"

Light filled her vision even from behind her eye lids. Leora had to turn away, dropping to the ground to stop herself from falling over the ledge. The waters parted and Leora heard the shattering of the key.

Then came the impact. The entire cube splitting in four. The ground shook with an intensity unlike the other times. Leora felt herself falling in the air to the chorus of Lucy's anguished cries. The entire cube crashed to the ground beneath it. She heard the commotion from outside, having a slight clue as to who was now fighting outside the cube.

But here, there was still one last battle to be fought.

* * *

He woke to the sound of crumbling structures and clashing steel. His eyes snapped open, seeing the dark sky above him. There was pain and suffering everywhere he turned. _Where am I?_ Freed was to his left, Evergreen to his right. Their faces twisted in pain. He rolled over and pushed himself onto his knees.

A soft pulse of warmth came through the bond, alerting him towards the inner castle. It disappeared as fast as it came.

He scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain pulsing throughout his body, ignoring the particles that ate at his organs.

 _Leora…I'm coming._

* * *

Lucy continued to sob even as Jackal rose to his feet. He exploded a bomb right over Lucy, shaking the ledge from where Leora stood. But this time, Leora had confidence in Lucy. And it seemed she was right. A blue sphere of water surrounded Lucy, protecting the mage. Magic power welled up inside of her, giving her the strength to stand. Leora watched with a smile as the sign of Aquarius marked itself across Lucy's collar. She watched with pride as Lucy summoned up the power of the eighty-eight stars in the brightest casting of Urano Metria she had ever seen.

Jackal was defeated.

Leora's feet finally listened to commands. She climbed down the ledge and was about to run over to Lucy when the fallen Jackal grabbed hold of her ankle.

He looked up at her with a face that stabbed guilt straight into her soul. "I…I just wanted to see Zeref again…to see you again..." His eyes fluttered closed.

Leora's heart was torn. She knelt down, resting a hand on Jackal's cheek. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I'm sorry for leaving you all behind. It's all my fault." She looked around, seeing all the destruction around her. "All of this is my fault."

Lucy's coughing stole her attention back. She ran over to the celestial mage, falling to her knees next to her. She cradled Lucy towards her the best she could with her bound hands. "Lucy…"

Lucy turned her head around with a weak smile. "Leora…you're okay."

"I'm sorry," Leora whispered into the blonde's hair.

"For…what…?"

"For doubting you. Lucy…you taught me what it truly means to be human today." She leaned down, giving a small kiss to Lucy's forehead. "Rest, you've done well."

Leora rose to her feet, looking for anything she could use as a weapon. The chains rattled as she turned.

"Leora…" Lucy said with a cough. "Those shackles…your power…I can't sense it."

"I know," Leora said, but a smile crept up onto her face. "But it's not going to stop me." It was her turn to protect. She found a fallen soldier nearby and wrestled the sword from his hand. She held it awkwardly with her two hands. "This will have to do."

The soldiers came. Men she had torn apart with one swipe of her claw just a few hours ago now had the ability to strike her down. With a loud cry, she lifted the heavy sword and swung. Her human body seemed to vaguely remember the motions. Left, right, stab. Blood splashed her face. Dodge left, duck, lunge. She continued to swing the heavy sword, keeping herself between Lucy and the soldiers the entire time. Her arms burned in protest. They fell slowly, one by one. In the process, she started accumulating injuries. One gash in her arm, one on her leg. But each time she wanted to give up, she glanced at Lucy and kept going.

Until there were none left.

Leora stood on shaking legs, breathing heavily. The sword, covered in blood, threatened to slip from her weak hands. She wanted to take in a breath of relief, but a looming presence from behind her made her stiffen. She spun around.

It was Torafuzar. He approached them from the far side of the floor. He took one glance at her sword and scoffed. "It's useless. That rusty thing won't even scratch my armor."

Leora ran back to Lucy, standing between her and the demon.

Torafuzar hissed after seeing the damage Lucy had done. "What the hell kind of magic did she use?! This is exactly why I told them to kill her immediately!"

Leora held up the heavy sword. "Not happening."

Torafuzar frowned. "Mother. In that state of yours, there is nothing you can do. Your power has already been subdued. Your body is threatening to fall apart. It would do you best to quietly come back with us. Leave that pathetic human to us."

"I'm not letting you touch Lucy," Leora said.

"Then, Mother, apologies."

Leora barely had the time to gasp before Torafuzar burst towards her. Using what strength she had left, she lifted the sword. It was no use. The impact from their collision sent her flying backwards. She cried out in pain when she hit the rock wall. She thought she heard Lucy call her name, but she couldn't hear much over the ringing in her ears.

She pulled herself to her feet, gritting her teeth. She stumbled back to Lucy.

"Leora…don't," Lucy whimpered.

Torafuzar only gave her a frown before moving again. This time, Leora didn't have the strength to move. She flinched, bracing for the impact, but before she could feel the pain, she heard the strong clash of steel on steel. A flash of dark hair whisked by her peripherals before stopping in front of them.

"Gajeel…"

"Impossible!" Torafuzar shouted, having been blasted across the field. There were marks in the dirt from his feet dragging through the ground. "The only human left alive should have been that human girl!"

"And?" Gajeel said, arrogantly. He cracked his knuckles.

Before Leora could process a thing, the world became chaos. A swirl of darkness shot towards the iron dragon slayer, but was deflected by a wave of water. Juvia had joined in on the fray. She was protected from an attack of ice from Silver by Gray. Then came Tempester.

Leora growled when she saw him. "Tempester!" In her rage, she scrambled towards him with the sword. But the demon responded quickly, sending a raging inferno her way. She was prepared to take the hit, knowing her body wouldn't be able to handle it, but she was carried away in the last second.

Natsu held her steadily in his arms as he swallowed up the flames.

"Natsu, let me go!" Leora shouted in desperation. "Tempester…I need to get to Tempester!"

"Not like that you aren't," Natsu said, letting out a loud burp. He glanced down at her and a blush quickly settled on his face. "W-Why are you naked?"

"That's hardly important in our current circumstances, don't you think?" Leora hissed.

Natsu settled her down next to Lucy. "Those chains. It's blocking your powers isn't it. Don't worry, we can take it from here."

"No, I need-"

"Don't worry," Natsu said, reassuring her. He stripped himself of his jacket, laying it around Leora's shoulders. "We want to save Laxus and the others just as much as you do."

"Ya," Gray said. "We'll take care of it."

"Juvia won't let anyone near Lucy and Leora-sama!"

Leora shivered, trying to keep her emotions intact.

"Protect Lucy for me, will you?" Natsu asked with a soft smile.

Leora nodded and Natsu burst off. The battle continued, but Juvia and Gray managed to hold them off while Gajeel came over. He glanced at the iron chains, lifting them up to inspect them. Before Leora could warn him, he chomped down on the iron, yelping in pain when they refused to break.

"You can't," Leora said, a frown on her face. "They're strong enough to hold down a demon. Made from the very hands of Zeref himself." They were originally meant for Acnologia, Zeref once told her. How ironic that they'd end up on her. Twice.

Gajeel snarled in frustration. "We'll figure something out, don't worry. Stay here with Lucy." And he ran off.

Leora could do nothing but watch the battle unfold. She kept Lucy close, trying her best to protect her from the flying debris. She studied the demons in front of her: Keyes, Tempester, Torafuzar.

Her 'children'.

Thinking back to Jackal's devastated expression, Leora whispered into the wind, "I'm sorry."

It only took a split second for Silver to whisk Gray away. Gajeel and Juvia engaged in battle with Torafuzar and Keyes. Natsu was struck by Tempester's lightning.

"Everyone…" Lucy whispered, struggling to watch.

"Don't worry," Leora responded, hovering over the injured celestial mage. "They can handle this." Leora watched in awe as the others continued to battle. She felt all the human emotions well up inside of her. Guilt, sympathy, suffering. Watching Juvia battle against Keyes, knowing full well his connection with Silver, Gray's father. Watching her take down the demon with tears streaming down her face.

Lucy caught the water mage as she fell, hugging her close.

"Juvia wanted to see Gray-sama," Juvia whispered, breathlessly.

"Don't worry," Lucy reassured her, her face twisted in anguish. She brushed a tear from Juvia's face. "You'll be able to see him soon."

Natsu and Gajeel geared up to fight the other two demons. Leora's breath hitched when Torafuzar and Tempester morphed into their Etherious forms. She could feel a fraction of her own demonic power resting inside them. A twisted form of her power, giving them strength. She wanted to help so badly. The chains strained underneath her struggle, but they wouldn't give.

The two dragon slayers entered Lightning Flame Dragon mode and Iron Shadow Dragon mode. Leora was well prepared to watch to the two fight, though, as expected, the pair dissolved quickly into arguments.

"Haa, since when did have you been able to do that?!" Natsu complained.

Gajeel smirked. "Gihi, ever since I ate Rogue's shadow. And now my power is even greater than yours!"

"Whatever. This is Laxus' lightning, mine's way stronger!"

At the mention of Laxus, Leora tensed up until she felt a soft hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," Lucy said. "He'll be fine."

Leora nodded and turned back to the fight. The two dragon slayers were much too fired up for their own good, but their irrational way of fighting managed to catch the two demons off guard. But another argument amongst themselves allowed for an opening for Torafuzar.

"Watch out!" Leora shouted. Even without her powers, she could sense something was about to go wrong.

A tsunami of water suddenly materialized behind Torafuzar. The demon smirked. "I invite you…into the deep sea of Hades." The tsunami crashed down on them, submerging the entire floor in water. Leora immediately held her breath after being swept up by the waves, but her eyes flew open with pain. She could feel it, the dark particles in the water entering her skin.

She opened her mouth to warn the others, but only bubbles escaped her as she struggled to speak.

The moment she swallowed the water, everything went dark.

* * *

He had run as fast as his body could handle. Through the warring crowds, past the fields and up to the fallen castle. The moment he saw the dome of black water surrounding it, he knew he had to hurry. She was in there. He could feel her, even if it was just barely.

When he reached the water, he moved reached his hand forward to head inside, but immediately recoiled, hissing when he felt the poison.

"Damn it!" He shouted in frustration. He couldn't go inside. It would only speed up the poison already inside his body and there would be no use getting in there if he couldn't do anything. He had to trust in his guildmates who he knew were inside.

 _Please. Hurry._

Time flowed at a snail's pace until finally…the water disappeared.

He ran.

* * *

Air…she needed air…

With a loud gasp, Leora felt it burn down her throat. She turned to her side, coughing out black water. She was surprised to find herself once again lying on the stone floor of the castle. _What happened?_

The bodies of her comrades were strewn across the stone floor. _Lucy, Levy, Juvia, Natsu._ The night sky was once again clear and what was left of the huge sea of water rested on the ground as small pools.

The only one still standing aside from her was Gajeel, having collapsed to the ground with heavy breaths. "Shit," he cursed. His eyes were focused in front of them. "There's one more."

Leora growled as soon as she realized which one. _Tempester._

"This is the end," Tempester said. He had sat off to the side during Gajeel's fight with Torafuzar, but after seeing the demon's defeat, he had no choice but to finish the job. He walked over to Gajeel, raising a clawed hand over the iron dragon slayer. "Once I've taken of this one, I'll take you back to Mard Geer."

" _No._ " Leora hissed. She scrambled to her feet, swiped the sword off the ground and ran. She managed to get around Gajeel just in time before Tempester's claws slashed through him. She lifted the sword with her bound hands, blocking the blow with a loud clang. The resulting blast sent her flying backwards with a cry of pain. Her and Gajeel crashed into one of the walls.

Leora got up with a cough, pain shooting through her body. She barely had the strength to stand. The sword tip screeched loudly as she dragged it against the stone ground.

"D-Don't," Gajeel said, weakly. She had protected him from the blunt of the hit, even with her weaker body.

Leora brushed him off, running again. "I have to. I need his blood. I need it for Laxus." Had she been anything else, dragon or demon, she would've seen the foolishness in her actions. She would've known the huge disadvantage she was in. But at this moment, she was neither one of those creatures. In this moment, she was human.

Determination filled her to the core, driving her forward with adrenaline.

"He wouldn't want you doing this!" Gajeel shouted from behind her.

Leora scrambled forward, unbalanced, lifting the sword again with both hands. The chains rattled violently as she swung. "I don't care!" A sharp clang filled the air as she made contact with Tempester's claws. But as expected, she made no damage. No worries, she'd strike again.

Tempester continued to casually block her blows. "Why do you fight us? You have nothing to gain, but everything to lose. With FACE, the world would be without magic. You would strive with us. You know that."

"What is he talking about, Leora?"

Leora growled, "Nonsense. A world without magic. I can't let you do that." A world without magic was a world without Laxus. It was amazing how clear her feelings had become after she had been reduced to a human form. Her sword collided with the demon's block, but she continued to swing again and again with building fury. Angry tears clouded her eyes. She knew it was pointless – Tempester was only entertaining her – but she continued to fight in the hopes that a miracle would happen. That she'd be able to draw blood.

"Enough," Tempester announced after a short while. He raised a hand and tornadoes started to form. "It's pathetic to see you like this. Perhaps I should end your misery…"

"Leora! Get away!" Gajeel screamed.

Leora didn't have the strength to move. She closed her eyes, bracing for the pain. _I'm sorry…Laxus._

The flash of light came from seemingly nowhere. Her eyes flew open and she watched as a bolt of lightning came down like a raging spear. It illuminated the entire floor before crashing into its target. A growl of pain was drowned out by an enraged roar. Before she could process what was happening, a familiar set of arms pulled her back into a strong chest.

"If you touch her, I'll rip off every offending limb from your fucking body…" A growl resonated from behind her.

Leora gasped, looking up to see a pair of angry, blue eyes and a familiar dark scowl. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Laxus!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, when I finally sat down to write this chapter on Tartaros, it turned out to be more than 15k words long. So I split it into two and this was the best place to stop. I thought I would spend more time on Tartaros, but then I realized that this arc had too much going on with too many characters. And one person can only be in one place at one time. I hoped you enjoyed it, and thanks for putting up with my sporadic posting.**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	33. Arc III-33: Sacrifice

**Chapter 33 – Sacrifice**

Laxus turned towards her and Leora could see all the emotions flickering through his eyes. Anger, worry, relief then happiness. He pulled her in close and buried his face into her neck. He could barely form words. "You're okay. _You're okay._ "

His comforting scent rushed her senses, bringing Leora tears of relief. "Y-Yes."

He pulled back, crushing his lips against hers and for the first time in a while, Leora felt safe. She leaned fully against him, letting him absorb all the fear and terror she felt, allowing him to fill her with strength. They only pulled apart for air.

"O-Oi." Gajeel interrupted them. "Can we save this for later?"

They both ignored him.

Leora couldn't tear her eyes away. But for Laxus, the first thing he noticed was, "Hey. Why are you wearing stupid Natsu's jacket?"

Leora flinched before rolling her eyes. She sat back on her heels. "Really, that's what you're bothered about?"

Apparently, it bothered him enough to shred it to pieces. In its place, Laxus draped his fur coat over her shoulders. "Better."

Leora shook her head in disbelief. She didn't even want to know how he got here. She was just happy that he was by her side. Laxus continued to examine her body for injuries. He wasn't pleased with the cuts and scrapes she had – if his growls were any indication – but she could feel the relief rolling off him in waves when he deemed her truly okay. Then, finally, he noticed the shackles on her wrists. His eyes widened when he realized what they were.

"It's okay," Leora reassured, before he could get a word in. "Deal with him first," gesturing to Tempester, "I'll be fine."

Laxus nodded, reluctantly. "Oi, Gajeel. Take care of her for me."

"Ya," Gajeel promised. "Don't worry."

Leora didn't want to let Laxus go, but she knew he needed to do this. She moved back to where Gajeel was and was forced to watch from the sidelines.

Demon and dragon slayer clashed violently, sparks flying wherever their fists collided. They knocked each other back, before pouncing forward again. It was clear that they were equally matched.

"You fight so hard to protect her," Tempester said, in the middle of the fight. "Do you even know who she is?"

"Of course, I do," Laxus said. He was breathing heavily, his body still affected by the particles in his body.

Leora knew the truth. _He didn't._ Not the whole story, for it was one she had forgotten herself until now. She interrupted Tempester before he could respond. She wanted to be the one to tell Laxus. She didn't want to keep anymore secrets from him.

"Mother."

Laxus whipped around. Somehow even Tempester was surprised to hear her confess.

"I'm their Mother," Leora confessed. She heard Gajeel's sharp intake of breath from beside her. She lowered her eyes, unable to meet Laxus' gaze. "It was a long time ago. I never had the heart to kill Zeref myself, so we created the Nine Demon Gates together in hopes they would do the job for me. He wrote the books; I brought them to life. But it didn't work." No matter how well created, they never did the trick. "After realizing that, Zeref and I moved on." She thought she heard Tempester's breath hitch as if he was affected by her words. "It's been three hundred years. I'm sorry."

 _Sorry to the Nine for leaving you all behind. Sorry to Fairy Tail for all the pain they've caused._

"I don't care."

Leora's eyes snapped up to meet Laxus' in shock.

Laxus continued with confidence. "I don't care anymore what you've done. I take back what I said that night. I was a scared little brat who didn't know how to deal with it all. But I know now, and all I want is you back." He turned towards Tempester with renewed determination in his eyes. "And demon or not, no one is going to stop me!" Before Tempester could react, Laxus threw the first attack. Lightning rained down from the sky like meteors. Tempester dodged the first round and fought back with an inferno of flame. The resulting backlash sent pressure waves outwards in a shockwave.

Tears welled in Leora's eyes at Laxus' confession. She had thought he didn't care for her anymore, after knowing what she was.

Tempester was shocked at Laxus' persistence. "How are you still keeping up?" His eyes scanned Laxus' body and came to a sharp realization. His voice lowered. "Are you even human…"

"What does he mean?" Gajeel asked.

"Your body," the demon clarified, pointing to Laxus' chest. "It's still full of anti-barrier particles. Your internal organs should be falling apart."

"Well," Laxus said, straightening up. His chest was heaving from exertion. "I've got a certain dragon to give me strength."

Tempester laughed. "Oh, how you jest. But it's not just you, is it?" Leora flinched when he turned to her. "Mother, you are full of them as well, aren't you? That and demon particles. It's corrupting your soul. That was Mard Geer's plan: to convince your soul to return to its true form. To awake as our true Mother again. And when you do, Zeref will return."

Despite having felt the darkness that pushed at her soul, leaving whispers in her ear, Leora knew the plan would not work. Just like Rhaegal, they were missing the most important key.

"Oh, hell no," Laxus said. "Not that again. I'm not letting any of you psychos near her." He leapt forward with another lightning fist. Tempester blocked the blow with one of his own, but the resulting pressure pushed him back a few feet.

The two parted and Laxus wavered slightly before dropping to one knee on the ground. His teeth gritted in pain.

"Laxus!" Leora cried out. She couldn't stand seeing him in so much pain. "Just stop! Your body can't handle it anymore."

Laxus roared in frustration. "Just shut up and let me protect you for once!" He burst forward once again. Tempester summoned four whirlwinds towards him, but he dodged them all, striking the demon in the chest. The demon flew back with a cry, crashing into rocks nearby.

"Like hell I will," Leora muttered to herself. She'd had enough of sitting on the sidelines. Right now, she may be powerless and magicless, but that didn't mean she was useless. She had learned a lot about humans that day and she knew that even when they were down, they'd find some way to overcome it.

"Gajeel," she said, gesturing to the sword in her hand.

After seeing the glint of the sword's metal, Gajeel got the hint. He placed his hands on the blade and using the last of his magic, he coated the sword in hard steel. Enough to pierce the hide of a demon. She then leaned over to whisper in Gajeel's ear.

His eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Leora nodded. "We only have one shot. Don't miss."

He chuckled. "Don't worry. I won't."

She watched the fight intensely, waiting for the opportune moment. Leora was shocked when Tempester released a large inferno towards Laxus' body, exploding like supernova. "Laxus!" She hated that she couldn't feel their bond because of the shackles. She wanted to feel his pain, to share the burden.

The flames subsided and she sighed in relief when Laxus was still standing with his signature scowl. His hand came up to wipe a stream of blood from his chin. "You're really doing a number on me."

"You have two choices," Tempester announced. "Keep going and die. Or give up and die."

"You people don't understand!" He leapt forward, lightning surrounding his body. "Humans have the power to get up when they're down!"

"Spin," Tempester retaliated with a fist swirling with wind.

Laxus followed up his punch with a kick, but Tempester blocked, punching Laxus in the stomach. Laxus was knocked back into the rocks. Leora cried out when Tempester sent a stray boulder smashing straight for Laxus' body. The rock collided with a loud smash, sending debris flying everywhere.

Leora wanted to run to him, but Gajeel held her down.

"Remember the plan, dragon girl," Gajeel insisted. Leora glanced once more towards Laxus, worry filling her veins but she conceded. Her hands gripped the sword even tighter, her knuckles turning white.

Tempester walked up to where Laxus was lying on the ground. "You can't move anymore. This time for sure, it's over."

"Again, I…"

"I'm ready to give you a fitting end. Farewell, human." He lifted his hand in the air, winds swirling around his fist. "Whoosh!" he punched down and Laxus roared in intense pain.

"Laxus!" Leora screamed, tears streaming down her face. But even in her anguish, she had the composure to gesture to the iron dragon slayer by her side. "Gajeel!" Now was their chance. Sometime during the fight, Laxus and Tempester's positions had rearranged; the demon's back was now facing them. Gajeel shouted in affirmation and grabbed hold of her waist. Her hands readied the sword.

The dust settled, revealing a near-unconscious lightning dragon slayer ferociously holding on to Tempester's fist. Leora caught Laxus' eyes and his flashed in understanding.

"You're right, I can't move anymore," Laxus said, weakly. "But…I was waiting for something else."

"Now!" Leora shouted. Gajeel's pulled her back and using the last of his strength, threw her towards Tempester. She held the steel sword in her hand like her life depended on it. Her hands no longer trembled.

Tempester turned his head in confusion and widened in realization. He tried to move, but Laxus refused to let him go. "You're crazy."

"No," Laxus chuckled, darkly. "We're just reckless." He shot Tempster full of lightning, paralyzing him just enough to give Leora that last bit of time.

She hit her target.

Tempester cried out in pain as the sword pierced through his heart. Blood gushed from his mouth, some of it landing on Laxus' coat as the demon fell forward. Laxus managed to roll out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed or hit by the sword. Leora fell forward with Tempester, landing on top of him. Her hands remained on the sword's hilt.

"I'm sorry," Leora whispered. "I had to do this...for my family." Her chest heaved, as her body was still trying to process what it had just done. After noticing Laxus lying on the ground, face twisted in pain, she crawled over to him. "Laxus…"

Laxus chuckled, looking up at her. "Even now you couldn't let me do it alone, could you?"

"You said it yourself once," Leora said, smiling. A tear streamed down her face. "We're a team." Her palm pressed against his chest, but she couldn't conjure the power to heal him. Her fingers clenched into a tight fist. "I want to help you…"

Laxus shook his head weakly. "You already have. S-Sunshine, I'm sorry-"

"No," Leora interrupted, pressing her lips to his. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Gajeel rushed over. "Sorry to interrupt your alone time, but we need to leave." He helped Laxus to his feet.

Leora nodded, but was shocked when Tempester got back up, pulling the blade from his chest. "H-How…"

"What is this guy?" Gajeel exclaimed in disbelief.

"I am the immortal Tempester. As long as the Underworld King is with us, my body is constantly being supplied with a faint amount of Curse Power."

"What?!",

"The Hell's Core resurrection is an ability possessed not only by me, but by all of the Nine Demon Gates," he explained. "Nevertheless, for some reason only I was given the nickname 'the immortal'. Do you know why?"

"Only a true demon can be immortal, Tempester," Leora interrupted. "You are no true demon."

Tempester shook his head, as if he was trying to deny her statement. "My body has always been stronger than the others. On top of that, the curse power that the Underworld King supplies me with increases my natural demon healing ability several times over. If you still intend to fight me, I'll tell you one thing."

"What is it, asshole?!" Gajeel snarled.

"In order to destroy this immortal body, you'd better take me down in one attack that doesn't give me the chance to heal. But to do that, you'll need tremendous offensive strength. Strength you three just don't have right now."

"No," Laxus said with a dark scoff. "You're wrong. You're already finished."

"Stupid human. What are you talking about?"

Laxus gestured towards the pools over water at Tempester's feet. Pools that were sparking with Laxus' lightning. He just needed that extra push. Laxus was startled when he felt Leora's hands at his back.

Leora knew she could do this. Even though the shackles blocked her power, she had confidence in the strength of her willpower. She had to do this for him. _Please, give me the strength to protect him._ Her teeth clenched in concentration as she tried to build up lightning power in her body. She strained against the cuffs, feeling just the smallest static gather in her hands. With a loud cry, she pushed her lightning past the barrier of the shackles, through her palms and into Laxus' body.

Laxus' chest rumbled in a low growl. "Thanks, Sunshine." He smirked towards Tempester. "As you wish, I'll take you down with one strike! Roar of the Lightning Dragon!" He amplified her lightning with his own, sending a huge blast of lightning forward. It travelled with high speed through the pools of water and straight to Tempester's body, lighting him up like a star in the night sky.

Tempester roared in pain before falling backwards to the ground with a loud thump.

Unfortunately, Laxus did the same. Leora fell to her knees beside him in a panic. "Laxus! Laxus! Wake up!"

"Well done, human," Tempester said, weakly. "I have no way to get up again. The Curse power supplied by the King won't give me enough power to regenerate, I'll die in seconds. And Hell's Core no longer exists."

Standing protectively over them, Gajeel growled. "Then quit making a fuss about it and just-"

"However…I must serve one last purpose." Tempester's body lit up in a dark, purple light.

Leora's eyes widened when she realized what he was going to do. "Gajeel, get out of here."

"Come with me, along with these anti-magic particles…Come with me to the land of the dead!" Tempester's body exploded into a million black particles, filling the sky like a dark mist. But even then, his voice carried its way to Leora through the wind. She could barely hear it, but it stabbed her straight in the heart. "I thought we were your family..."

She didn't know what to say, but, "please forgive me." _It's all my fault._ She started to cough as she inhaled the anti-magic particles. "Gajeel!" she called out, as she covered Laxus' body protectively with her own. "Hurry and run!"

"I can't do it," Gajeel said in a panic, looking around to the others still lying on the ground. "I don't have the time. Dammit!"

A cold chill suddenly filled the air. Leora looked up and saw the particles crystalizing into ice, drifting down like soft particles of snow. Footsteps approached. _Gray._

"In the space of a moment, you froze all these particles?" Leora gasped, feeling the power housed within Gray. He had changed. Inside Gray was now the power to kill demons: demon slayer magic. But he left as soon as he came, saying he was going to crush Tartaros.

Leora only hugged Laxus closer to her body, wishing he would wake up. "Laxus…"

Gajeel collapsed to the ground next to her, unable to stand any longer. They had exhausted all their strength. All they could do now was rely on the others to stop FACE and the destruction of the world's magic. She believed in them.

* * *

Boy did everything hurt. From the top of his head to the tips of his toes, everything ached. The only soothing sensation Laxus felt was the soft petting of his hair as he rested his head in Leora's lap. She jolted when she felt him move and quickly whispered softly to him, telling him that everything was going to be okay.

Judging by the sound of the others, it seemed they had woken up as well.

"Is Gray-sama here?" he heard Juvia ask.

"He just headed somewhere, I think," Gajeel replied.

"I'm just glad everyone's okay," Levy said.

"Take this to old woman Porlyusica's place, Levy," Gajeel said. Laxus couldn't see, but he must have been talking about the demon's blood.

"Right," Levy said. "Now we'll be able to heal Laxus and the others."

There was silence for a moment, until Lucy's voice floated through the air. "What's wrong Natsu?"

Laxus didn't notice it yet, but Leora's hand had stopped moving.

"He's probably pouting after hearing how that ice idiot suddenly powered up."

Natsu remained quiet for a few seconds longer. Laxus then noticed how stiff Leora had become, and how, suddenly, she seemed ice cold. He looked up and was floored by how ghostly pale her face was. Her eyes were thrown wide and aimed towards the sky. He was about to ask her what was wrong, but Natsu's voice distracted him.

"Gajeel…" Natsu said. "Can't you hear it?"

"Hmm?"

Laxus didn't know what Natsu was talking about either.

Natsu's voice trembled. "This voice."

 _Voice. What voice?_

Then he heard it. It sent the sharpest chill down his spine.

A roar. A deafening, earth-shattering roar that sent fear straight back into Laxus' body. He remembered this sound. He had never wanted to hear it again.

He was here.

 _Acnologia._

The earth was shattered as beams of energy hit the ground. A black shadow raced around in the sky over head like a beacon of death. Acnologia roared again.

Natsu and Gajeel started to tremble. Natsu's face had gone completely pale.

"Natsu?!" Lucy cried out.

* * *

It was like her mind was present, but absent at the same time. She vaguely registered Lucy's cry as if it was being muffled by a thin layer of fear that rang inside her ears. Fear that was encouraging her to curl up and tune out the rest of the world.

 _Acnologia…_

He couldn't be here. Not now.

" _The dragon slayers are reacting to Acnologia?!"_ That was Lucy's voice, wasn't it? She turned slowly, like moving through molasses. Her eyes widened when she sensed a power so strong, she could sense it even through the shackles. _This…isn't possible…_

This feeling. There should be none left. There should be none of them left.

The black shadow circled overhead again, this time releasing a beam of energy that destroyed half the castle. To her, it was like time was moving at half speed. Screams burst like slow motion explosions, but two of them broke out from the crowd.

Natsu and Gajeel. They roared in seeming pain, but she could only watch in horrified awe as their bodies lit up the night sky. Then it came.

A dragon, erupting from Natsu's body like a volcano. _Igneel._ That was what Natsu called him. The bright red dragon, King of the Fire Dragons. _How is this possible?_ She choked back a cry, not expecting to see another dragon again in her lifetime. He was supposed to be dead. He was supposed to have perished in the Dragon Civil War long before she had been born.

He was larger than she could ever be. The fire dragon took to the skies, but not before turning back to talk to Natsu. "I can't tell you everything now. I'll get rid of Acnologia first." He didn't seem to notice her presence. But then again, she was still essentially a human.

Somehow, seeing the powerful dragon cleared away the mist of fear from Leora's mind. She was suddenly reminded of where she was, and who she was with.

A few feet away, Natsu trembled. "Dad…" He then shot to the skies, following Igneel.

Lucy got to her feet as well, having regained her energy. "We need to get out of here. I have a feeling it won't be safe much longer. We should meet up with the others."

"We'll go find Porlyusica," Levy suggested. Gajeel hauled Juvia onto his back and was ready to follow the blue-haired mage. He lifted a hand to Leora.

She glanced at the hand, but refused it. She had no strength to move and neither did Laxus. He had fallen unconscious again after Acnologia's appearance. "It would be dangerous to move him. I'll stay."

"Are you sure?" Gajeel asked.

She nodded, looking down at Laxus, brushing a lock of his hair from his face. "I'll protect him." She turned to Lucy. "Get someone to come back and help me lift him."

Lucy nodded and they all parted ways.

After a minute, it was just Leora and Laxus. Laxus continued to drift in and out of consciousness, but she stayed with him the entire time.

"Are you scared?" Laxus asked her after a while. His voice was hoarse, like he could barely talk.

"Yes," Leora replied, not bothering to lie. She gasped when he raised a hand to her cheek.

"Don't be. I'm here."

Leora smiled, weakly. "I know." She glanced back up at the sky. "I know…" She could do nothing but watch, paralyzed as the two dragons fought. Igneel summoned a ball of fire as large as a city, colliding it with Acnologia, sending the black dragon to the ground. _It's no use._ It was her fear speaking. _He's invincible._

The two dragons collided again and again. A swipe of a claw here, a snap of a tail there. A raging inferno of fire versus a terrifying orb of dark energy. Each explosion sent the earth flying. Rocks and debris rained down from the sky like a hailstorm. Leora could barely catch her breath as she watched. They were completely out of her league.

The black dragon finally spoke. "To think that dragons still existed…how unpleasant."

"Oh. Finally speaking are we…Acnologia," Igneel said.

"I will acknowledge you as my enemy. And destroy you."

She shivered. That voice sounded so alike to Rhaegal's. But what he said…did Acnologia not remember her or Rhaegal? Or were they so beneath him that they didn't count?

The two dragons butted heads before Igneel swiped at Acnologia with his claws. He then retreated up into the sky with Acnologia hot on his tail.

Leora could barely keep up. But then, amidst the chaos, the earth started to shake and Laxus closed his eyes again. He started to tremble uncontrollably and that was when she knew something was wrong. _FACE._ She cried out in frustration when there was nothing she could do for him, but watch him struggle as his magic was depleted even further.

"Stop this!" Leora cried out. "Someone, please help!" Humans, she learned, were terrifying. Capable of such destruction in so little time. To think they would build such a device. And for what?

Just when all hope was lost, she felt the pulses. Echoing waves of draconic power resonating from across the continent. "H-How is this possible?" She could feel them. Dragons.

There were more.

She felt the earth rumble as if the entire continent was moving. Were they…were the dragons destroying the FACEs? She looked to the skies, but there was so much smoke she couldn't make out a thing. She could only believe in their strength, but the proof was already in front of her.

Laxus already seemed to be doing better. His face no longer scrunched in pain and his breathing returned to normal. She released a breath in pure relief. But it wasn't over.

The fight between Igneel and Acnologia was still going on. She thought it would never end until the pair collided in with a final blow. Her hands shot towards her mouth as she gasped in horror. Igneel flew away with Acnologia's arm in his grasp…but a gaping hole had already been blasted through his body. Igneel fell towards the ground and Acnologia aimed a final blast at the fire dragon's body.

Incinerating everything in one blow.

Leora heard Natsu's pained cry from across the castle.

That image...was so familiar.

She felt so cold. Her blood had dropped in temperature the moment she witnessed the horror that was Igneel's death. Pure, unadulterated terror ran through her veins, paralyzing her mind. She was taking a thousand breaths, but she couldn't get air. Her worst nightmare was right in front of her eyes after four hundred years. The Black Dragon. The one who decimated her entire race, murdered her father right in front of her eyes and forced her to flee from her home. And no one was left to stop him. Not even the King of the Fire Dragons was able to kill Acnologia.

No one could protect them now. No one could protect her now.

Suddenly, Leora wasn't in the present anymore. Her eyes glazed over as the stone castle melted away into a grassy valley. The sky turned gray, filling with smoke. Dragon cries echoed in her head. She was young again, four hundred years in the past, unable to even fly, staring up at the monstrosity that was the black dragon of death. The False Dragon King.

Her mouth opened in silent screams, but this time, her father wasn't there to save her. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, the chains rattling, but she found nothing to give her strength.

" _Oh dear…what do we have here?"_

That voice! That calm, soothing sound. She looked frantically for its owner while a lone tear streamed down her face. Her own voice cracked as she called out to him.

"Z-Zeref…"

The black mage seemed to enter into her memory like a ghost, approaching her through the grass. He was unchanged, looking no different than he had a hundred years prior. Time had moved so fast and so slow at the same time. She couldn't breathe.

Zeref gave her a soft smile as he stopped in front of her. "No need to be afraid little one." He stood out against the chaos behind him, a calm figure in the midst of a waging war. He soothed her fear, leaving only a dull pulse behind. His eyes flickered towards her hands and frowned. "I thought there were none left." He reached out to her shackles, and with a single touch, the metal shattered into a million pieces.

Leora felt her power return in droves. Her sight, her sense of smell, her hearing, it all returned.

So why was she still trembling?

Zeref held out his hand to her. "Come, little one. It's time." She sucked in a breath, mesmerized by his presence. She reached out for it, about to take hold when someone else's voice butted into her memory. A deeper, rougher voice.

"Don't!"

She slowly looked down. There was someone in the grass with her, looking up at her with pleading eyes. "…Laxus?"

He looked angry. "Sunshine, don't take his hand."

Her eyes returned to Zeref's outstretched hand. "B-But I need to get stronger. R-Right now, I'm too weak."

"Bullshit. What are you talking about? Weak? You're anything but." He had a mild coughing fit, but managed to compose himself. "…Don't listen to him."

Zeref continued to wait patiently, in front of the bloody backdrop that was her memory of the Dragon Civil War. He shook his head. "There's no room in this world for the weak, little one. Our preparations are complete. You know what you must do."

She did know. _Become whole again._

"Sunshine, don't do it," Laxus pleaded. "Don't you dare." She could hear the quivering fear in his voice. See the overwhelming concern in his eyes.

But something dark inside of her twisted his image, covering his face in deep slashes and leaving his lifeless body sitting in a pool of blood.

Leora gasped, terrified of what she was seeing. He was like that because he protected her. He sacrificed his life for her. She thought back to Lucy. She also sacrificed so much for all of them. For Fairy Tail. Both lost so much for the people they loved. For their family and friends. In her eyes, they held the most strength.

The little dark voice in her head asked her, _'And what have you done?'_

Nothing. She couldn't protect Laxus from being hurt. She couldn't help Lucy as she sacrificed her best friend. She couldn't help Fairy Tail as the guild was destroyed.

 _That's right,_ the voice said. _You need me._

A black shadow passed overhead and once again she pictured the screams and cries of her kin as they were slaughtered those many centuries ago. Past wavered into the present. Evidence of Acnologia's destruction was engraved into the stone ground, into the hearts of all he terrorized. The pain Fairy Tail had suffered on this day, if she did nothing, would just repeat itself again and again. She couldn't let it happen. She needed to be strong enough to fight Acnologia. To protect those she loved at Fairy Tail.

 _To protect Laxus._

 _Yes…_ the voice echoed. _Anything to protect Laxus._ _Anything to protect…yourself._

She made up her mind. Leaning over, she placed her palm against Laxus' bare chest, her eyes softening when they landed on their shared mark. The sign of their bond. Using what power had returned to her, she healed Laxus' life-threatening wounds.

"Promise me," Leora said to Zeref. Her eyes remained with Laxus, even though they were no longer focused. Her voice had gone eerily cold and emotionless. "Promise me that you won't hurt him."

"Damn it, Sunshine!" Laxus protested, struggling to move, but his body wouldn't listen. "What are you planning-"

"Yes, you have my word," Zeref promised with no hesitation. "As long as you are with me, no harm will come to him. Come." He held out his hand to her. "It's time for you to awaken."

"Sunshine-"

Laxus' voice threatened to pull her back to reality, but Leora refused to listen. "I can't protect you like this," she said, wistfully. It was like her mind had already gone. Tears streamed down her face in her final show of emotion. "I can't win against Acnologia. Not as I am now."

"Yes, we can, together. I thought you said we were a team," Laxus protested, but it was punctuated by strong coughs. Desperation bled into his words. He grabbed hold of her, his fingers tightening around her wrist, trying to keep her with him. But the darkness inside only covered those fingers in blood, making her see red.

Yes. She was a hypocrite. But when it came to Laxus, she no longer cared. The terror that consumed her after seeing that vision of his bloody body – his bloody, lifeless body – it was a terror that outweighed the fear of her own death. "It's not enough. _I'm not enough._ Please, Laxus." _Understand._

"Don't you dare, Sunshine. Don't you-"

She leaned down, silencing Laxus' protests with a kiss. Pulling back a breath away from his lips, she whispered something she should've said much sooner.

"I love you."

Ignoring his cries and protests, Leora slipped herself away from Laxus. He tried to hold onto her wrist, but his was grip was too weak. His hand fell loose, falling to the ground with a dull thud.

"Damn it! Come back here! Leora!"

Leora took Zeref's hand gingerly, letting him lead her a few steps away. It was cold stone that her bare feet touched, but a part of her pictured soft, warm grass, pictured Zeref leading her away from the past, away from the black dragon, the death-valley, all the screams and all the red.

"More than enough blood has been spilled tonight," Zeref said, calmly. "And more than enough darkness is within you." He stepped up to her.

"Get away from her! Don't touch her!" Leora drowned away Laxus' pleas and cries for her to stop. The voice inside her reassured her that this was the right choice.

"All you're missing is one piece," Zeref said.

"Yes."

Zeref tilted her chin up, so that she was looking straight at him. "I promised you, two hundred years ago, that I would never do this without your permission. Do I have it now?"

"…Yes."

"Very well," Zeref lifted his wrist to Leora's face, "then take your final offering."

They were surrounded by the ruins of destruction, but oddly enough, she felt calm. In that last moment, Leora caught Laxus' eyes and found herself unable to tear away from them even as she grabbed hold of Zeref's hand, sinking her teeth into the flesh to draw the final key to the spell. Warm blood slipped down her throat. The final lock was being unraveled; she just needed the final push.

She spared a final smile to the man she loved. Tears streamed down his face, mirroring her own. She made a mental promise to herself. To do everything possible to protect him. Even if it was from her.

She reached out to him through their bond one last time. ' _Laxus…live on.'_

 _This_ was her sacrifice.

Zeref's voice echoed into the sky in a dark prayer. "Arise from the depths of hell and let your soul become one once again: Lilin, Daughter of Lilith and Leora, Daughter of Raiden!"

' _Forget me.'_

"LEORA!"

A dark pillar of light burst into the sky, surrounding her in darkness. The feeling of death and despair fused itself into her being. But something felt wrong. It was drowning her. She tried to hold on, but the last thing she heard before everything went black was the sound of her own gut wrenching screams filling the air.

* * *

A week passed.

The sun streamed in from the open window, bringing with it the sound of chirping birds. It was a melancholic tune: one that sang of loss, but also of hope. Laxus' eyes fluttered open. He was disoriented, the light making his eyes ache.

The sound of his teammates grounded him to reality.

"Laxus! You're awake! This is great!" _Bickslow._

"Laxus!" _Ever._

Laxus sat up slowly, putting a palm to his face. "I'm…"

"Well, you've made us worry." _Freed._

"Pathetic," he scoffed. Opening his arms wide, he brought his team in for a hug. "I can't go on like this…At this rate, I won't be able to protect what's important to me." _What's important to me...wait_ _._ Something was missing.

"Leora…" his voice croaked. "Where is she?" He looked to all his teammates, but all they could give him were solemn faces. "Where is she?!" He couldn't feel her. He couldn't feel their bond! How was that possible?

"I-I'm sorry, Laxus," Freed replied. "We couldn't find her anywhere."

Suddenly, the memories flooded back. Tartaros. Zeref. Leora. The dark pillar of light. Her screams of pain. He knew at the time that something was very wrong. He had tried to crawl to her. To help her. But a huge blast of light knocked him back. Something between them snapped. Their bond. When the dust settled, he couldn't believe what he saw. It was her, but not her at the same time. Her bright, blonde hair had turned dark. When her eyes snapped open, his breath hitched. They were pitch black and…empty. Dark, feathered wings sprouted from her back. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but no sound could be produced. Within a split second, Zeref and her were gone.

 _No…_

A small knock against the door to the hospital room made them all turn their attention to find Natsu standing by the doorway. A frown was firmly settled on the mage's face. "I saw her. That night after me and Gray defeated Mard Geer. We were fighting over this…book, when she materialized out of nowhere with Zeref. She took it from us and left with him." He shivered. "Her entire aura was so…dark. She looked nothing like herself. Something's wrong with her Laxus. Please find her. Save her." Natsu himself turned back towards the exit. "Happy and I are going on a short trip. We'll be back soon okay? Take care."

The four of them watched silently as Natsu disappeared around the corner. The Raijinshuu all turned to Laxus, faces knotted in pain. They had a strong inkling as to what transpired between the dragoness and the dark mage, but they had no idea it was this bad.

"So, what now, boss?" Bickslow asked, warily.

It took a minute for Laxus to calm himself down, his hand gripping at his chest, but when he did his voice filled with determination as his eyes narrowed. "I'm going to find her, and drag her sorry ass right back here."

 _No matter what it takes._

* * *

And so, Fairy Tail disbanded, its members forced to scatter. Each and every one of them carried scars that dug as deep as the ocean and would never truly heal. But they would live on, each on their own separate road. Some would cross with one another, some would stay far away. But they all waited, until one day, they would collide together once again.

As for Laxus and the Raijinshuu, they headed on out of Magnolia, in search for their lost dragon. Not knowing where to start, they found another guild first, to give them a central hub to work out of. A place to return to should they be split up.

That guild was Blue Pegasus.

* * *

Across the vast blue ocean, on the western continent of Alakitasia, a card game was going on in the grand castle. A common past time for the residents of Alvarez. Four cards were placed in front of the old man, in a similar fashion as his opponent. The match looked even until his opponent placed down her Queen, surprising the old man when it effectively captured his own.

"Ah, it seems you've won again," the old man said, stroking his beard.

His opponent's smile was sickly sweet. She twirled the card of the Queen between two fingers. "Don't worry. You're simply new to the game…Makarov."

"Quite an unorthodox way to play," Makarov noted, glancing down at the cards. "I thought the point of the game is to protect the queen. Not to place her in harm's way."

Her laugh chimed throughout the greenhouse. "That's where you're wrong. The Queen is the strongest player in the game. _Always._ Besides, I like to play with unique methods. It works." She rested her cheek against her open palm as she stared at him with onyx eyes. Ones that held just the smallest sparkle in the form of golden slitted-pupils, like cat eyes.

"I wouldn't refute that claim." Makarov studied his opponent, unable still to register her appearance. She was ethereal, in a dark sense. Her silky, black hair reached down to her waist and gleamed in the light shining in from the windows. She wore a navy-blue kimono that barely covered her unnaturally pale skin.

But what the old man couldn't tear his eyes from, was the familiar amber pendant that rested innocently around her neck.

She smiled. "Shall we play again?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: And so marks the end of Arc III, the defeat of Tartaros and the disappearance of Leora. It was hard for me to write this second half of Tartaros, trying to properly encompass the fear that Leora felt seeing Acnologia again after four hundred years. But it was fun weaving her into the Tartaros Arc in general.**_

 _ **Arc IV will be the last, taking place during the year the guild disbanded and culminating in the Alvarez War (which I will probably alter since it wasn't my favourite). For those who stuck with me this long, thanks for reviewing, favouriting, following and putting up with my long absenses. Your responses really kept me going while I was struggling with writing. I would love to hear what you guys think, what you liked, disliked etc. going forward!**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	34. Arc IV-34: The lady in the forest

**Chapter 34**

 _Well. So much for finding her._ Laxus scoffed in self pity, roughly grabbing his mug of beer and chugging it. He savoured the burn as the alcohol slid down his throat. He slammed the glass down, ignoring the odd stares he was getting from the other patrons in the club. His eyes squeezed shut as he tried to drown out the god-awful music and the loud chatter, letting the haze of being drunk wash over him. He gladly welcomed the change in pace.

Two months. He had been searching wildly for her for two whole fucking months. They scoured the entire country with no sign of Leora anywhere. No scent, no rumours, nothing. It was like she had disappeared.

He let his head fall smack onto the bar top, eager to feel even the slightest physical pain in hopes it would replace the emotional. It was that agony that drove him towards constant training. The burn in his muscles helped distract the raging emotions inside of him. When he wasn't training, he was drinking. His inner dragon had been clawing at his insides non-stop lately, crying out for him to do something.

His fists clenched. He had tried. He had looked _everywhere_.

He thought he saw the outline of a worried Master Bob from his peripherals, but the man was too blurry to make out. He groaned as he felt the makings of another headache approaching.

His heart clenched. _Who the hell tells you that they love you, and then completely disappears off the face of the earth?_

* * *

The fine winter morning in the capital city of Alvarez was filled with the smell of lavenders and saltwood. The sound of Makarov's dissatisfied grumbles mixed with sweet laughter as the last card was placed down on the table. The result was as clear as the light that streamed in from the greenhouse windows.

"You lost again, Makarov," his opponent said, flashing her sharp fangs at him. Her dark eyes gleamed with mirth. The cards laid spread on the wooden table between them.

Makarov slumped in his chair, mumbling, "How many has this been?"

"Thirty-six to zero." She laughed, but like a flip of a switch, her cheerful demeanor snapped into dark cloud of frustration and anger. Makarov had noticed these sudden changes in mood happening more frequently in the recent weeks. It worried him.

She glanced around the greenhouse and the cloud darkened further. "Where is he?"

"Still no sign of Zeref?" Makarov carefully asked. They've been playing their game of cards almost every day for the past month. The old man made it a habit to keep visiting in order to keep tabs on her. How she was here he did not know, but what he did know was that she was not where she was supposed to be.

He didn't flinch when her fists slammed onto the wooden table.

"No."

"That's odd…" Makarov said, stroking his growing beard. Her eyes followed his every move.

"Why," she asked. "Do you know where he is?"

Makarov carefully chose his words. "I do remember hearing one of the castle guards mentioning he was doing business in Fiore."

"Fiore? Why there?"

"Perhaps you should see for yourself," he suggested.

Her body stiffened in her chair. Her voice lowered, wary. "Zeref said I should stay put."

"And when do you ever do as you are told?" Makarov replied.

She graced him with a small smile. "You're not wrong." Her claws tapped gently against the table in thought. "You're as smart as I remember, Master."

Makarov frowned. "It's too bad there is no true feeling behind that association."

She snorted. "Emotions are unnecessary. Especially when it comes to _these_ memories. I hope you take no offense."

"None taken." Makarov only assumed that it would make her more dangerous. He watched thoughtfully as she stood abruptly.

"Fiore, was it." She walked gracefully towards the balcony, throwing the doors wide open as she stepped outside. "I can get there in an hour."

Before she left, Makarov called out to her. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Of course, I will. Why wouldn't I?" And with that, black feathered wings sprouted from her back. With two beats, she was off.

Makarov sunk into his chair, exhausted. His age was finally catching up to him. He walked up to the balcony, staring up into the sky. "That's the best your Gramps can do for you…Laxus."

 _The rest is up to you._

* * *

Laxus groaned as he leaned backwards onto plush seating. Hmm, was he on the sofa? He wondered when he had moved there. Last, he remembered he was face down at the bar. Well, no matter. Bar, sofa. Didn't matter as long as he could drink. A few women, patrons of the club, tried to approach him, but he was thankful that today his scowl was enough to keep them away. Mavis. Why the hell was Blue Pegasus a host club of all things?

He grimaced when Bicklow's face entered his field of vision. "Hey boss, you know drinking isn't going to help anything right?"

Laxus snorted. The seith mage had been telling him this since he started really drinking ten nights ago. "Sure doesn't seem like it. Feels like its helping to me." He reached for his mug, but scowled when he realized it was empty.

A smooth voice from his right butted into their conversation. "You know what would help?" Laxus growled as Hibiki slid himself next to him on the sofa. But if the pretty boy was affected by his scowl, he didn't show it. Instead the man gestured towards the patrons in the club. "A woman." Hibiki yelped when someone slapped him upside the head.

Laxus managed to make out Evergreen in all the haze. Her hands rested on her hips and her face was scrunched. "As if our great Laxus-sama would do such a thing. Come on." He felt her hand on his wrist and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. She hooked his arm around her shoulder and Bickslow did the same on the other side. They dragged him begrudgingly out of the club and down the street towards their makeshift apartment.

"She wouldn't want to see you like this," Evergreen sighed.

"She'd have to be here first to see me," Laxus slurred.

Bickslow had nothing to say, merely shaking his head at his leader's current state.

Laxus grunted after he was tossed onto his bed when they were finally back in his apartment. How sad. He had gone from a quaint little house on the edge of the woods with an annoying dragoness to a tiny apartment and three equally as annoying teammates. Freed, who had been home cooking, came by to offer tea.

Laxus waved it away. "Where's the booze?"

Freed frowned. "Laxus…"

"Don't Laxus me," he said with a groan, pressing his face into the pillow.

Evergreen had had enough. "You don't get to be like this, Laxus."

"And why the hell not?!" Laxus outburst shook the walls. With each passing day, he became more hollow. It physically hurt not knowing where she was. Their bond was a mess, he couldn't sense her nor feel her and it felt as though the bridge connecting the two of them had been snapped. He didn't know whether she was okay or not and it terrified him.

All three of the Raijinshuu flinched, but Evergreen was not going to take it.

"Because we miss her just as much as you do!" she shouted back. She was starting to gather tears in her eyes. "You don't think we want to find her too? But we can't do that while you're looking this!"

Evergreen's outburst shocked all the participants in the room. There was silence for a few long minutes before Laxus came back to his senses. He looked to the Raijinshuu, all staring at him with concern and he instantly felt terrible. He groaned, brushing a hand through his hair. "Guys, I'm…"

"We know," Freed answered.

"We'll find her, alright boss?" Bickslow reassured.

Evergreen gave him a small smile. "Just take it easy on the alcohol alright?"

Laxus fell back onto the mattress. "Ya, got it." He got derailed. Somehow, he needed to get back on track.

* * *

She took a deep breath, sighing in contentment as the fresh, crisp winter air filled her lungs. It would snow soon, she predicted. It had been a while since she tasted fresh air like this. She had been stuck inside the castle for too long.

She had landed on Fiore soil not to long ago and found herself wandering leisurely inside a large forest. Any wildlife steered clear of her, but she wasn't surprised. The only sounds in the forest were the beating of the wings of birds as they flew away from her. That and the gentle jostling of the leaves in the wind.

She perked up when there was rustling nearby. A few minutes later, a man stumbled his way onto the path she was on. He was skinny, clad in simple village clothes and stared up at her as if he had seen an angel. She was amused. _I'm the farthest you can get from an angel._

She smiled at him, suddenly aware of her hunger. "What do we have here?"

* * *

"Laxus…Laxus…wake up…"

Laxus groaned, turning onto his side trying to get away from the voice. His head was pounding and he just wanted to keep sleeping. He knew he had promised the Raijinshuu that he'd get back on his feet, but after another two weeks of nothing, Laxus had decided it was time for another round of booze. It turned out that alcohol became less of his friend as he grew older.

"Laxus!"

"What?" Laxus grumbled. He threw an arm over his face when the curtains to his bedroom were thrown open and harsh sunlight streamed in.

"Get up boss!" Bickslow said, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. His babies flew around Laxus' head, all repeating 'Get up'. "We're going on a mission."

"Mission?"

"As much as I don't want to believe it, we're running out of money." Bickslow laughed. "I think you spent it all on fancy alcohol."

That was a possibility that Laxus would not affirm nor deny.

"Come on," Bickslow said. "Shower and get dressed. You smell like crap. It'll do you good to get some sun."

Laxus rolled onto his face to get away from the light. "Tomorrow."

"Too bad, boss. You don't get a say. It's either mission, or Master Bob closes your tab. And like I said, you no longer have the jewels to buy booze at an actual bar."

Laxus scratched the back of his head in frustration. "Fine." He winced at Bickslow's cackle and pulled himself up. Bickslow was probably right. It would do him good to get outside.

One shower and half an hour later, Laxus was sitting in their tiny living room along with the Raijinshuu. "So?"

Freed pulled out the flyer and placed it on their small coffee table. "The guild received this this morning. Master Bob said it would be good for us to give it a try."

"Pretty sure he just wanted to get Laxus out of the club." Bickslow cackled. "He keeps scaring off the customers."

Laxus glared at the man. Instead of giving in to the quip, he snatched the flyer from the table, giving it a read. "The Lady in the Forest?"

Freed nodded. "Apparently there have been people reported missing in the East Forest not too far from here. They've called in mages to help. It's only 500,000 jewels, nothing like we're used to, but I figured we should start small."

Laxus nodded. "Alright. I need to blow off some steam anyways." And hopefully something to get rid of the massive headache he was sporting.

* * *

It took them about an hour by carriage ride to reach the East Forest, something that definitely didn't help Laxus' stomach and didn't mix well with the remaining alcohol in his system. But eventually, they reached the town on the outskirts of the forest. Hopping off and paying the driver, Laxus and the Raijinshuu headed towards the town hall to speak to the mayor.

The mayor of the town greeted them with joy. "Oh, mages! I'm so glad to see you here. Please come sit." The four of them took a seat on the couch in the mayor's office. "It's been two weeks since we've been having this problem. We've sent in other mages, but they never made it back."

"Can you tell us any more details of this Lady in the Forest?" Freed asked.

"There's really nothing much to say, unfortunately," the mayor said with a frown. "Only one man made it out of the forest and his words seemed quite…odd."

"How so?" Evergreen asked.

"He said he saw a beautiful woman with black hair walking through the forest. He stumbled on her two weeks ago. He mentioned that he wished to bring her back to the village, as she seemed lost, but she refused to follow him. When he came back, he told all the townsfolk about her. A few men who didn't believe him headed into the woods to verify. They never came back."

"Do you think it's a siren?" Evergreen asked the team.

"I'm not too sure," Freed replied. "It's certainly a possibility. Sirens tend to lure prey in with their voice. Was there any mention of singing?"

The mayor shook his head. "Not that I've heard."

"Hmm," Freed mused, deep in thought.

"Where is this man now?" Laxus asked, getting slightly intrigued.

"Ah, he lives on the edge of town," the mayor replied. He moved to his feet. "Here, I'll bring you to him."

* * *

The little hut on the edge of town looked like a complete mess. The windows were crooked, shingles were missing from the roof, and the grass was filled with weeds. Laxus scrunched his nose at the smell wafting from the inside. Evergreen refused to even come close to the house.

A few knocks on the door and a man came to the door. He wore tattered clothes on his body, as if they had been shredded apart.

"Can I help you?" he asked, eyeing Laxus warily.

"Are you the man who saw the Lady of the Forest?"

The man's demeanor changed. He took on a wild look in his eyes. "What do you want with her?!" Laxus stepped back as the man moved towards him. "Are you going to try and hurt her too?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The others…they tried to hurt my angel…" The man covered his face with his hands as his eyes went wide.

"Your angel?" Bickslow asked. His babies were already on standby as he could sense the hostility from the man.

"My angel!" the man shouted. "She was like a dark angel that fell to the earth. I was reborn because of her. She gave me a new life."

Laxus, Freed and Bickslow all looked at each other as if acknowledging that his man was crazy. But Bickslow was bothered by the way the man stressed the word reborn. As a soul mage, who worked with dark magic, reborn was a sensitive word. Just to be safe, he took a look into the man's soul and was shocked at what he found.

"Laxus," Bickslow hissed. "This man…his soul, its chained to someone else." There were dark chains plunged straight into the man's soul. Following the chain, Bickslow looked towards the forest.

"What?" Laxus said in disbelief.

"Yes! My soul belongs to my dark angel. She said she would give me a better life in exchange for my soul," the man said with a crazed look in his eyes. "But the others, they wouldn't believe me. They even tried to send people to kill my angel…she tried to kill my angel…" he murmured to himself. "The woman with white hair…"

"Laxus," Bickslow said, warily. "This doesn't look good. The only ones who could enslave souls like this are-"

"Demons," Laxus finished for him. He turned to the man who was now trembling. "What did your angel look like?"

The man's eyes seemed to glaze over as he recounted the details. "She was hauntingly beautiful. Hair as black as night that pooled down to her waist, a soft smile and her eyes, god, her eyes. It was like staring into the dark abyss, but seeing two golden stars shining out from the darkness."

Laxus froze. That description…

He bolted out of the house and straight into the woods. He barely heard the shouts of his teammates as they followed in after him. That description. The dark eyes with gold pupils. There was only one other that he knew looked like that.

 _It can't be._

He had just entered the forest when he caught a strange scent. A clean, hollow smell. He followed the scent and grew worried at the strong pulses of power he started to sense from the middle of the forest. It called out to him.

Laxus rushed past trees and leapt over logs, his legs taking him as fast as he could. As he neared, he started to panic. He could smell blood. He burst out of the trees and into a large clearing. But the moment he did, he froze.

Several bodies were littered along the forest floor, some covered in blood, others appeared as though they were sleeping. One of them he recognized. A woman with white hair.

"Mira!"

Laxus quickly rushed over to where Mira was lying on the ground. Her dress was ripped and blood was crusted on her right temple. Tiny wounds were littered all over her body. He rolled her over to face him. "Mira! Oi Mira! Get up!"

Mira's eyes fluttered open. They took a second to focus before she recognized him. "L-Laxus…?"

"Mira." Laxus sighed in relief. "What happened?" He heard the gasps of the Raijinshuu behind him as they entered the clearing.

"I took on this job a few days ago. But when I saw her, the Lady in the Forest." Mira looked slightly away, as if she was ashamed. "I-I couldn't attack…"

Freed crouched down next to them and pulled out his emergency supplies in order to patch Mira up. "What do you mean?"

"She…" Mira clutched her hand to her chest. "Laxus…I don't know what's happening…"

Laxus didn't understand. None of what Mira was saying was making any sense. Who was this Lady in the Forest? And how did she manage to reduce the demon Mirajane to this?

A rustle in the trees made them all turn towards the edge of the clearing.

Mira gasped. "She's back. R-Run…"

"Like hell we will," Laxus grumbled. "Freed take care of Mira. Bickslow, Ever, get ready."

"Yes!"

Laxus' chest tightened when the bushes rustled again and a painfully familiar voice filled the air, tinged with curiosity and something darker. "Oh, do we have another visitor?" A fine mist of darkness covered the area and a new figure emerged from the cover of the trees.

Laxus couldn't move. Only one word left his lips. "Leora…"

Laxus didn't want to believe it. He wanted to believe that what he saw in Tartaros that night was an illusion, a dream. He didn't want it to be reality because that meant he had lost her to something terrifying. Right now, that something was standing right in front of him with hair the colour of night and eyes like the dark void. The way she looked at him was so...cold. The short two-layered kimono she wore revealed a section of her chest that left him breathless.

The mark of their Bond, the symbol of their connection was almost non-existent. Only faint remnants remained of what used to be there.

A flurry of emotions fluttered through him, including relief, concern, confusion and hurt. His heart couldn't decide what it wanted to feel. Pain rippled through him. He couldn't breathe.

Mira's voice drifted into his ears. "So, it was true." She had looked away, saddened by the truth.

The Raijinshuu appeared to feel the same. Evergreen had tears welling in her eyes. Freed could only look on in shock. And Bickslow, he was completely emotionless.

"H-How was this possible?" Evergreen said. "L-Leora..."

"Lilin," she corrected coldly. "At least for now." Her eyes scanned emotionlessly across them all before landing on Laxus. She cocked her head and pursed her lips. "And who are you?"

Laxus' eyes widened in horror at the thought that she had lost her memories, but she seemed to enjoy his expression for she broke out into a cruel smile.

"Just kidding." She tapped at her temple. "Laxus Dreyar, dragon slayer, human. I have plenty of memories of you." A dark aura radiated from her body and Laxus stiffened as a massive scythe, towering almost the height of his own body, materialized in her hand. Black tendrils of energy surrounded its large, curved blade as she pointed it straight for him. Despite her voice remaining calm, Laxus could feel the rage in the undertones. "You, you were one of the reasons I was in hell for so long."

Lilin disappeared from her spot before reappearing right in front of him. She was fast. Laxus barely had time to dodge the swing of her scythe. The resulting aftershock of energy passed right next to him.

"Laxus!" the Raijinshuu shouted in concern.

When he looked back he couldn't help but be shocked. The trees that were hit by the aftershock of her swing were completely black. Dead. He didn't understand, shaking his head in disbelief. The dead trees, the bodies in the clearing.

This wasn't the Leora he knew…or is it Lilin now?

"What is all this?"

The corner of her lip curled as she leapt back. "I wanted a little...snack." She walked over to one of the men on the ground, lifting him up by the collar. "This one cried about how he was going to cleanse the earth of creatures like me as if he was pure, but I could tell he was lying. Souls never lie. His life force was quite delectable." The way she spoke sent cold shivers down his spine.

It wasn't just him that was affected. "Dragon girl, what the hell happened to you?" Bickslow asked. Confusion and anger swirled in his eyes. His babies floated around his head, seeming just as distressed as their owner was.

"Oh?" Lilin said, glancing towards Laxus. "You didn't tell them the whole story?" She smiled at them. "Zeref set me free."

"He said he would put you back together," Laxus growled. "What happened to your other half?" He couldn't sense a single trace of her dragon heritage. Even her scent had changed. She used to smell like fresh lightning. Now, she almost smelled like nothing. Like pure air.

She played with a lock of her black hair while her large scythe twirled effortlessly in her other hand. "There were some...complications. Painful ones. But I'm here now, and that's all that matters." She stretched her arms up in the air. "To think life would be even more exciting after two hundred years." She walked over to Mira, but Freed was already standing protectively in front of her. "Mira, I'm sorry," though nowhere in her tone of voice did she seem genuinely sorry, "my memories tell me we used to be amicable. It's too bad I can no longer feel the emotions associated with those memories."

Laxus' eyes widened. How was that even possible?

As if she could sense his distress, Lilin smiled at him. "That counts for you too, Laxus." She stepped backwards, heading towards one of the bodies on the ground. "You know, all this talking is making me hungry." She was about to take the life of one of her victims when a beam of green light blocked her way.

"Bickslow!" Laxus exclaimed.

The seith mage looked genuinely angry, something he rarely saw from the man. "Human souls are precious, they aren't meant to be made into meals. Babies!" The soul dolls gathered in the sky around the clearing. "Sorry, boss, but it's quite obvious she ain't herself right now. We can't have her running around like this until we figure out how to fix this."

As much as he didn't want to cause her harm, Laxus agreed with Bickslow's plan. Before they could figure things out, they had to subdue her.

"Baryon Formation: Line!"

Lilin tsked as the laser beam of green light blasted her way. She dodged effortlessly before a pair of black feathered wings sprouted from her back. She took to the skies. She dodged the next set of beams from the dolls before disappearing.

Laxus looked up in confusion. _Where did she go?_

Before any of them could notice, Lilin had reappeared in front of them, with one of the Bickslow's soul dolls in hand.

Bickslow gasped, when the demon brought the doll to her lips for a kiss. "W-What are you-?"

The doll's eyes bled crimson. A split second later, a beam of red light blasted in the direction of Evergreen and Bickslow. Both of them dodged in the last second, watching as the light split the trees behind them in two.

Bickslow coughed as he returned to his feet. He stared intensely at his soul doll and gasped. "T-That chain. You, what did you do to my baby?!"

"Oh?" Lilin said, still hovering in the sky. "I'm simply borrowing her. A three-on-one fight hardly seemed fair."

"You chained up her soul!"

"What are you talking about, Bickslow?" Laxus asked.

"She listens to me, for now, at least," Lilin answered for Bickslow. "It's not that special. Many demons can do it. Souls are easily manipulated after all. Just a little coaxing and they'll listen, even if they don't want to. Though, it's much more powerful when someone willingly sells you their soul. Like a young man I recently met."

 _Young man?_ Laxus thought. Was she talking about the crazy man from the house on the edge of the woods?

Bickslow's remaining babies were crying, shouting for their friend back. Evergreen, having recovered from her shock, joined in as well. With a heavy heart, she started to counterattack.

"Fairy Bomb: Gremlin!"

Lilin dodged the attack with ease, flying up above the clearing. Evergreen had to fall back to avoid the red beam that shot towards her.

"Why are you doing this?!" Evergreen cried out.

"What do mean?" she replied, mid back-flip. She avoided a beam of green just before her scythe slashed through another one. "You were the ones who came here."

"Because we cared about you!" Evergreen let loose a torrent of her energy needles in frustration. "Did you know what we went through these past two months looking for you? Did you ever stop to think about Laxus who-"

Laxus cut her off. "Ever." He didn't want to hear how pathetic he was in the past two months. Evergreen looked away, but Laxus could smell her tears in the air.

"None of what you say matters," Lilin said, bluntly. "Like I said, none of my memories come attached to emotions." She swung her scythe again, emitting another wave of death energy.

"Get down!" Laxus said. He lightning-teleported to Evergreen just in time to knock her to the ground. He winced as the pressure passed over his head, cutting down another dozen trees. They crashed to the ground with a loud thump.

Freed clenched his fists. He wanted to help his comrades, but he had to protect Mira who was still recovery. A part of him wished Wendy was here.

"Enough," Lilin said. "I don't have time for this." She had Zeref to look for. She turned away from all of them, intent of walking back into the woods. She jumped back when a heavy bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, landing right in front of her.

"You're not going anywhere," Laxus growled, standing to his feet. He couldn't let her go. Not like this, not after he had just found her. Demon or not, he was getting her back.

"What I do is not up to you," she said, blankly. Her eyes flickered towards Mira just as she raised her hand. "Take care of this for me."

Laxus took a step back, confused. What was she talking about-

Freed's cry of pain had him turning to find the rune mage flying across the clearing. Dust lifted into the air. Bickslow and Evergreen moved to provide support, but another demon now stood in their way.

Demon Mirajane.

"I-I'm sorry," Mira said, sounding like she was struggling to talk. Tears welled in her eyes. She was already in her Satan Soul. "I-I can't. R-Run." A dark orb of energy gathered in her hands. "Run!" Mira released the energy, the dark energy exploding outwards in a wide radius. Laxus and the Raijinshuu barely had the time to dodge.

"Not you too…" Bickslow said, devastated. He could see it, the dark chain wrapped around her soul. Like his baby, it wasn't permanent as Mira hadn't sold her soul – merely had it captured – but Lilin's hold was strong.

By then, Lilin's figure was already disappearing into the woods.

"Laxus!" Evergreen shouted, dodging another one of Mira's attacks before taking a kick to the stomach. She cried out as she was slammed into the ground. "Go after Leora. We have this."

Laxus clenched his teeth, not wanting to leave the Raijinshuu alone with Mira and a haywire soul doll, but he had no choice. He had to go after her. "Don't you guys die on me."

"Ha!" Bickslow laughed, his tongue hanging out. He was hovering in the sky on top of his remaining soul dolls. "Don't worry, boss. Today's the day the Raijinshuu take down Mira!" Beams of green light shot towards Mira, who dodged them all with ease. She came up behind Bickslow but was knocked away by Freed.

"Laxus! Go!" Freed exclaimed.

Laxus nodded before chasing into the woods after Lilin. He tracked her scent down, but she was moving fast, weaving between the trees. He finally caught up to her once he reached the end of the forest, bursting out into a large open field. Subconsciously, he was glad there were no innocents nearby.

That thought distracted him just enough for Lilin to land the first hit. He grunted when he was knocked down, a small crater forming underneath him. He stood with a cough, only to get pulled to the sky and thrown again. He aimed his magic towards the ground, using the force to slow down his momentum. His hand touched dirt and he used it to propel himself backwards. He dragged his feet along the ground to stop himself.

"You're at a disadvantage, human!" Lilin said as she reappeared in front of him, swinging her leg around for a kick. It hit, sending Laxus crashing painfully back into a tree from the edge of the forest. "I know everything about you, your strategies, your fight patterns, but you no longer know anything about me!"

"That's where you're wrong," Laxus said, standing to his feet. He wiped the trail of blood from his chin. "Your appearance may have changed, but I know, deep down, you're still in there." Lightning sparked around his body as he reared up. "And if I have to beat it out of you, then fine with me!"

"Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!"

He leapt forward just as she did and they both collided with a forceful explosion. They were both knocked back, but Laxus recovered fast enough to draw another attack.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"

The roar of lightning hurled it's way across the field towards her. She reared her scythe back and with a giant swing, she cut through the entire blast of lightning. Laxus' eyes widened in shock and with that small distraction, Lilin flew towards him. He counted with lightning strikes from the sky but she was fast and limber. She dodged them all before appearing right in front of him.

Laxus managed to counter in the split second he had left. _This is for you._ "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Roaring Thunder!"

His heart clenched with the sound of her cry as she was knocked back by the blast. She stopped herself mid-roll along the ground and pulled herself up into a crouch. Her eyes glared daggers at him. Residual arcs of his lightning sparked around her body.

It was faint, but for a moment Laxus thought he heard her growl.

* * *

Bickslow grunted in pain as he was thrown to the ground yet again. He rolled onto his back, glancing up at the sky as Freed and Mira were locked in a tight battle. Freed had been forced into his dark form, while Mira was still in her Satan Soul. One swipe of her tail knocked two of his babies down from the sky right before she swung around to punch Freed in the stomach.

It was unsettling to listen to Mira's constant apologies. It was clear she was aware of what she was doing.

It was strange though.

As sad as it was to say, Mira had multiple chances to go for the kill. With her soul captured, she shouldn't have had a choice. And yet, they were all still alive. To Bickslow, it seemed Mira's only order was to keep them from chasing Leora down. Incapacitation. Was that all Leora wanted?

Regardless, he wasn't going to lay down and do nothing while Mira was in pain. He had to think of something. But he couldn't do anything while one of his babies was providing support.

"Babies!" His soul dolls formed around him and lifted him into the sky. While Evergreen and Freed dealt with Mirajane, Bickslow chased his rouge soul doll around the sky, dodging red beams of light left and right, until finally he came close enough.

"Figure Eyes!"

His rouge soul doll froze in the air. Bickslow saw clearly the chains that wrapped themselves around the soul in the doll. The doll struggled, trying to get its way out of his hold.

"Come on baby," Bickslow encouraged. "Fight it!" He managed to fly close enough to grab hold of the doll. The moment he touched the doll, a strange flash of light came from the dolls body. When it disappeared, his baby's eyes glowed green once again. It was strange. Was it due to his strong connection between their souls that overcame the demon's possession?

He turned his attention towards Mira. "Now for you." He shouted towards his teammates. "Freed! Ever! You need to restrain her!"

"Easier said than done, Bicks!" Evergreen quipped.

"Ah, Ever, I have a plan too," Freed said. "Please distract Mira while I set it up."

Evergreen groaned in frustration before sending a wave of fairy bullets towards Mira. "You two!" The she-demon avoided them all, flying in close to Evergreen, but the fairy queen was saved by Bickslow's babies.

"How much longer, Freed?!"

"Almost!"

Evergreen screeched wildly as Mira chased her around in the sky. "Hurry!"

"Got it!" Freed shouted. "You know what to do Ever!"

"Ah," Ever grinned. She sent another barrage of bullets towards Mira and right before the demon dodged the final round, she graced the woman with a bomb. The explosion caused little damage to Mira, but it was enough to cause her to falter for just one moment. It was enough for Freed to grab hold of Mira's arm before tossing her backwards.

The moment Mira entered his rune field, her Satan Soul disappeared. _No take-over magic can be used when within these runes._ Mira yelped as her wings disappeared and she fell to the ground. Bickslow tackled Mira within seconds, preventing her from escaping.

"Let me go!" Mira said, thrashing against her captor.

"Come on, Mira. Fight it! The Mira I know wouldn't be taken in by a mere kiss. How lame!"

Mira tried to fight it, but the possession was still taking hold. Bickslow had no choice but to use his Figure Eyes. "I'm sorry, Mira. Bear with me." Once again, he was able to see the chains wrapping around Mira's soul. Bickslow flinched. Mira's soul was actually quite terrifying, like a snake lying in wait to strike. It definitely fit Mira's personality. He could see her soul fighting viciously against the chains. Using his magic, he nudged her soul in the right direction, showing it all the weak links before the chains finally snapped.

Mira gasped in a large breath of air. It felt as though a weight had lifted from her chest. "W-What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Freed asked. He knelt down next to her and checked her wounds.

"N-Not much of it I'm afraid," Mira confessed. "Guys, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Ever cut in, placing a hand on Mira's arm in comfort. "It wasn't your fault."

Mira looked around the small clearing, flinching when she saw the other bodies in the field. She didn't know what to expect when she took this job a week ago, but seeing a demonic version of Leora wasn't it. She had been feeding on the mens' life force when she arrived. Mira was caught off guard after noticing who she was and was easily taken down. She attempted a take-over, but Leora had simply been too powerful. She had roughed her up, but she was surprised to find that she didn't kill her too. She had kept her alive this past week, tossing random animals and plants in her direction. Leora, or Lilin, may still have attachments to them, despite what they think. Perhaps she'll still have attachments to Laxus. Speaking of which, "Where's Laxus? Where's Leora?"

"Laxus went to chase after her," Evergreen said, with a hint of concern. She glanced towards the direction that he ran towards.

"We should go. He'll need help," Mira said. She moved to her feet.

"Are you sure?" Freed asked.

Mira smiled. "Don't worry about me. I can take a lot more than that."

Bickslow whistled sarcastically. "Thanks Mira for the confidence boost…"

"Ah!" She blushed in embarrassment. "I didn't mean it like that."

The four of them ran into the forest, following the damage, knowing it would lead to the pair. They just hoped they made it there in time.

* * *

A cold wind blew through the field, rustling the grass and dispersing the dirt and debris from their battle. Lilin calmly straightened up from her crouch, brushing the dirt from her skirts. Slowly, she raised her hand. "Enough." A swirling orb of dark energy started to form in her palm.

Laxus remembered that energy. It was similar to her death magic, but this, this felt much worse, if that was even possible.

"I'm not going to let you get rid of me. I'm not going back there," she mumbled to herself. "I'm not going back!" Her eyes burned with a crazed light and Laxus was afraid that she was getting unstable.

Laxus held up his hands. "We're not going to send you back."

Lilin paused, but only for a second. "L-Liar!" The darkness flared, responding to her emotions.

She didn't believe him.

"I belong in this body just as much as my other half." The dark orb grew.

"S-Sunshine, wait."

"No!" Lilin shouted, her voice trembling slightly. "You're going to send me back. The only way to stop you, is to kill you."

He should have dodged. Anyone else would have thought him crazy to stand his ground, but Laxus knew what he had to do. Something inside of him told him to stay. A look of shock flashed across Leora's face as he took the hit of death energy straight on. The darkness exploded like a bomb, annihilating all life around them, leaving a field of black in its wake. When the death energy dispersed, Laxus opened his eyes.

Lilin looked completely floored. "How are you not dead?" Her arms curled in around her body as she looked to him in doubt.

Laxus coughed, his hand waving away the dust. "You promised me…Sunshine, that your powers will no longer hurt me. I simply extended that trust." It didn't mean it didn't hurt though. That blast burned like hell.

Lilin backed up a step. H-Her powers couldn't hurt him? "That's impossible! The Bond…it's broken."

"Is it?" Laxus pointed to her chest. The outline of their connection was still there, as was his. And as long as he could still see it, he still had a small inkling of hope.

Lilin glanced down at herself and winced. She shook her head. "That doesn't change anything." Her eyes snapped back to him. "If I can't kill you with my powers, then I'll just have to physically do the job myself," Lilin hissed, flexing her claws. She pulled back to strike again, but shock flickered across her face when her body refused to move forward. "What?"

Laxus was just as confused, that is until he saw Mira running towards him from behind Lilin with her arm raised. Her current take-over was of a demon he hadn't seen before, but it carried the same scent as the ones from Tartaros. Had she devoured all their demons?

"Laxus, hurry!" Mira shouted as she reached them. She looked dishevelled, but thankfully not painfully injured. The Raijinshuu must have dealt with the possession. "My Macro can't hold onto her for very long. Restrain her!" The rest of the Raijinshuu followed behind her.

Lilin looked behind her and hissed. "If you think you can restrain me with a demon's power than you're sorely mistaken!"

"Then I'll have to do the honours," Laxus said. He summoned chains of lightning and used them to wrap around Leora's body while she remained caught in Mira's hold. The ex-dragoness struggled, fighting to throw off the chains.

"It won't work!" Lilin exclaimed just before a blast of death energy burned through the lightning. Taking advantage of Laxus' shock, she leapt towards him with claws at the ready. She was inches away from his face when a voice echoed across the field.

"Lilin."

Lilin instantly stopped, the tip of one of her claws just barely touching Laxus' skin. The rest of her body stiffened as if she was a robot.

Laxus watched, heart pounding, mind baffled as her face morphed from a deadly snarl into a bright smile within a split second. She swiftly pulled back, taking a step away from him and turned towards the figure now entering the field with a cheerful voice.

"Zeref!"

The black wizard looked no different than Laxus saw him last. He was still wearing his black and white robes. The man glided across the field with a face of indifference. "Come."

Laxus reached out to Lilin. "Wait!-" No, he couldn't lose her again.

Lilin was by Zeref's side in a heart beat. She showed him a gleeful smile as Zeref gently ruffled her hair. That show of affection had Laxus' heart twisting in pain.

"Little one. I thought I told you to stay put." Zeref said, calmly. But if one knew Zeref well, they'd be able to tell the small hint of anger in his voice.

Lilin certainly did. Her head quickly bowed apologetically. "I was bored."

It was tough, watching Leora walk away from him, for the second time. It brought back memories Laxus didn't want. Even now he could hear the echoes of her screams inside his eardrums. His inner dragon clawed at him, telling him to do something. So when Zeref reached for her a second time, Laxus growled, lightning already swirling around his body. "Get away from her!" He released a bolt of lightning towards Zeref, but it was blocked by one of Lilin's outstretched wings. He had a feeling his eyes betrayed his pain as the Raijinshuu turned away from him in that moment.

She shot him a dark glare. "It's not his time." She materialized her scythe in her hand again and raised it to strike. But when she moved to swing, Zeref's hand hovered over her forehead and her whole body stopped and relaxed. The scythe disappeared in a flicker of black. Her eyes which were blazing with anger just moments prior now glazed over. Blank.

She looked like an empty doll.

"What did you do to her," Laxus roared in anger. He wanted to tear into Zeref for everything he had done, but the Raijinshuu held him back.

"Laxus! Don't be reckless," Evergreen said with a hiss. "This is Zeref we are dealing with."

Zeref frowned. He brushed a hand through Leora's black hair, remaining as calm as the dead sea. "I merely quieted her demon soul for the moment. I was hoping we could talk."

"Talk?" Laxus hissed. He continued to struggle against his friends, who were now comically holding him back. Even Mira stepped in front of him to help. "What could we ever talk about?"

"Perhaps her?" Zeref said, gesturing to Lilin. The black-eyed demon hadn't moved an inch, staring off into the distance.

Laxus glared at him. "Fine. Talk." As much as he wanted to rip into the mage's throat, he needed these answers.

"I assume you remember the ritual that was performed?" Zeref asked, rhetorically. "There were some…complications that arose. Neither of us expected it to happen."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps its better if your seith mage explained," Zeref said, gesturing to Bickslow. "Maybe you could take a look into her soul?"

Bickslow's lips flattened, and he looked to Laxus for permission. When Laxus nodded, he used his magic to take a glimpse inside Lilin's soul. He paled when he realized what he was seeing. "H-Her soul," he said, suddenly choked up. "It's shattered."

It was hard to explain what he was seeing. There were black and gold fragments all over the place, but it was strange. Most of the black fragments had fused together in an odd, fluid shape that seemed to surround the gold fragments as if preventing them from coming together.

"What?!"

"Indeed," Zeref said, ignoring Laxus' outburst. "Unfortunately, it appeared that the two halves of her soul were simply apart for too long. The force of the collision when they were reunited by the spell shattered her soul into fragments. For the first seven days, she was like this, an empty doll." Zeref frowned. "I assume because of my role as her demon soul's anchor as well as her proximity to me over those days allowed the demon fragments to reassemble, though not as ideally as I had hoped. And as such, her demon soul arose as dominant in her current state, giving you what you experienced just before."

Laxus was beyond furious. but it was Freed who spoke for him. "Is there a way to change her back?"

"If by 'back', you mean reverting her to her dragon soul only then it's impossible. To split her soul now when it is so intertwined with itself would only cause death. Which I assume is something you do not wish for. However, I do believe I have a solution."

"What is it?" Ever asked. Her hold on Laxus' arm loosened slightly.

"I had thought her dragon soul was lost, given how dominant her demon half had become, but lately I've noticed something quite interesting." Zeref pulled at the chain around Lilin's neck, lifting something very familiar that was previously hidden inside her bust.

Laxus gasped. The amber necklace. It was the one he gave her on the night of the Grand Magic Ball.

It was strange, but the moment Zeref attempted to touch the amber itself, Lilin's indifferent expression twisted into anger and she started to growl and snarl. It was as if her dragon instincts had taken over.

Hope filled Laxus' heart and spread to his limbs. _She was still in there!_

"I assumed that would be your reaction," Zeref said. "It appears her connection with you, Laxus, is still present. I will allow her to remain with you in order to re-establish the bond between you two. It is my hope that then the dragon fragments will fuse back together. And if successful, perhaps her soul to come together as one."

"Why did you tell us all this?" Freed asked, slightly wary.

"She is of no use to me like this," Zeref said bluntly. "I simply wish for her to return to her true form so that we can continue with our preparations."

Anger sparked down Laxus' spine when he heard the way Zeref talked about her. But for the Raijinshuu and her sake, he kept his mouth shut. Unfortunately, the Raijinshuu were right. He needed to stay calm.

"Preparations for what?"

"That is none of your concern," Zeref said, his tone cutting them off from any more questions. "I pray that you complete this task briskly. I'm not sure you'd be able to handle the consequences if not." Before any of them could ask what he meant by that, Zeref bent down to whisper a few words into Lilin's ear. It was soft enough that not even Laxus could catch what he said. "She should wake in less than twenty four hours." After which, Zeref disappeared.

The moment the black mage was gone, Lilin's body pitched backwards. In panic, Laxus shook off the Raijinshuu and teleported to catch her just before she hit the ground. He lifted her in his arms. She looked so peaceful with her eyes closed as if she was sleeping.

Laxus felt a myriad of emotions as he brought Lilin back to the town where their apartment, and subsequently, the guild, was situated. There was the relief from having found her, the pain from realizing what she had become, the anger that she had played a role in all of this and the fear that she would never be the same again.

He still remembered what she had said to him, the night this all started. ' _Forget me'._ Hell, as if he was going to do that. No, he had promised himself, the Raijinshuu and even Natsu that he was going to drag her ass back to Fairy Tail when this was all over. And if he had to figure out a way to reignite their broken bond before that, then so be it.

He had said to himself that he was prepared to do whatever it takes. Right now, it was going to take everything he's got to bring back the woman he loved.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Welcome to Arc IV! Didn't want to keep them apart for long so now they are b**_ _ **ack together, though not quite the way they wanted. It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to run with this, but after building up to her demon half for so long I knew I didn't want to resolve it within a chapter or two. I also couldn't decide whether to have her named as Lilin while in this state, or keep her as Leora, but I eventually settled with Lilin. Let me know if seeing 'Lilin' is too weird and I can definitely adjust it back.**_

 _ **It's also been a while since I've had to choreograph a fight so I'm a little rusty. Don't mind me.**_

 _ **And thanks for the continued support!**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	35. Arc IV-35: To love a demon

**Chapter 35**

Dawn had barely signalled its arrival when Laxus woke up the next day. The rising sun left a soft glow in the small room of his apartment. He stretched out his arms and winced at the ache in his back. He wasn't surprised, since he had slept in a chair all night. His bed had been taken up by a black-haired demon.

Who, he just noticed, was staring straight at him.

"Y-You're awake," Laxus exclaimed, relief lacing his voice. He had been watching over her since yesterday afternoon. After everything was over, he carried her unconscious body back to the apartment, deciding it was the best move for now. Mira, having recovered, soon left, telling them that Elfman and Lisanna were in a town nearby and would be worried if she didn't return soon. The Raijinshuu stayed behind in the clearing to deal with the mess and returned late last night. They remained relatively silent, knowing he was already conflicted with what was happening.

The demon was sitting up on his bed, her back leaning against his window sill. The sheets pooled around her waist. Her dark eyes were inquisitive, as if she was searching through his soul. He briefly wondered what she would be like. Yesterday, she appeared unstable, but right now, she seemed calm.

"Yes," she finally replied to his observation, "for the past four hours."

"Four hours?" _Why didn't you wake me up?_

"Don't worry. I didn't leave."

He frowned. That wasn't what he was worried about. He shifted in his chair, leaning towards her. He wanted to say so many things, but the only words that came out of his mouth were, "…how are you?"

She laughed lightly, and her eyes seemed to darken, if that was even possible. "You're nervous. From what I can remember that's rare."

"From what you can remember?"

"From my memories," she said, tapping the side of her head. "Apparently a lot happens over two hundred years. Took me these past four hours to finishing sort through them. I was just getting to the end when you woke up."

"So, you know about everything?" Laxus asked. He didn't know why he felt nervous. It was unsettling, to know this stranger in front of him knew everything about their relationship. Even though, she was technically not a stranger.

"You can say that," she responded. She absentmindedly fingered the chain around her neck, bringing it to his attention.

He perked up. "You kept it." He remembered what happened in the field yesterday. Her reaction when Zeref had tried to take it. It gave him a small semblance of hope.

"You mean this?" She lifted the amber necklace, placing the jewel in her palm. She gripped it tightly in her hand. "I can't seem to discard it. It's annoying."

Laxus' teeth clenched.

She continued as if she didn't notice. "It's the only object from my 'missing' memories that come with emotions."

Laxus eyes widened and his heart beat a little faster. "W-What do you mean?"

"Who knows," she said, giving a shrug. "Perhaps you're important? Zeref certainly believes so. He said that you can somehow fix me. Put my soul back together. I'm not sure I believe him, but after sorting through all these memories, his logic seems to lie in the bond we share. Not just the one between Dragon and Knight of course." She gestured in between them. "Perhaps it's because of this 'love' in between us."

Laxus clenched his fists. The way she said that made it seem as though she were making light of his feelings. He moved to stand, but she was faster. In the blink of an eye she was behind him. Her hands were firmly placed on his shoulders, keeping him seated. She leaned over him, her long black hair draping over his shoulders.

Out of no where, she said, "You said you loved me, right?"

He stiffened. Her hands drifted down from his shoulders and along his chest. She leaned forward next to his ear.

"I think you're a liar."

That struck him like a blow straight to his face. How could she call him a liar after all they've been through? He whipped around to face her, but again she was too fast. She had already spun herself around and over the chair, straddling his lap. She grabbed his chin, tilting it upwards. "How could you love me, when you don't even know me?"

Laxus growled. He tried to reach for her, but she merely slapped his hands away.

"But, I'm willing to try it, to fix this bond that we share, this love that we apparently have. But, can you really learn to love a demon?" She moved forward, her hair creating a dark curtain around them. Her lips once again hovered mere slivers away from his. "Because let me tell you this. I'm not going anywhere anymore."

Her lips crashed into his, pressing him into a rough kiss. It ended as soon as it started, rekindling a fire only to smother it dead. Within seconds the demon was off his lap and out of sight, heading out towards the living room.

"Seven days, human," she called out. "I'll play nice for seven days. After that, who knows what will happen."

Laxus was left in his chair, speechless. By the time he came to his senses, the demon was in the living room with three shocked mages. They weren't expecting her to awaken so soon, and so…energetic.

* * *

Freed yawned for the tenth time. His books were spread out across the entire living room, each opened to a random page filled with demonic script. After seeing Laxus' state last night, Freed wanted to at least be helpful, gaining as much knowledge as he could about the demon they just newly acquired. But even after hours upon hours of searching, he didn't get much.

He was a little out of it when he heard the door to Laxus' room creak open. He was certainly unprepared when a voice slithered by his ear, like molten honey.

"I'm not any of those."

A yelp and tumble later, Freed glanced up from the floor at an amused demon. Apparently, personal space wasn't a term in Lilin's vocabulary. As if she didn't notice his alarm, she knelt to the floor, thumbing at the old, yellow pages of his current read, each depicting some form of demon.

Hearing Freed's yelp, the other two Raijinshuu stumbled out of their rooms.

"You okay, Freed? Oh."

The two of them glanced at Lilin with a sense of shock and wary. Neither of them knew how to react.

Freed was the first to recover. He cleared his throat, replying to her previous statement. "What are you then?"

Lilin shrugged. She stood to her feet, and stepped over a few of the books towards one of the couches, sitting down and spreading out like she owned the place.

Freed glanced down at the page she stopped at. "A reaper?"

"Close enough," she replied.

 _Hmm._ That would explain the deaths in the field and the scythe, Freed supposed. A shiver raced down his spine at the memory of last night. He knew from first glance that the men in that field weren't good men, but even so, he didn't feel it was right for them to die so suddenly.

Lilin's laughter rang through the room. "Why is everyone so serious? Are you afraid?" Her eyes flashed darker. They were all on edge, as if the dark-haired beauty would suddenly combust like yesterday.

"Stop antagonizing everyone," Laxus said, walking into the room.

To everyone's surprise, Lilin backed off with little more than a pout. She closed her eyes, looking as though she wanted to take a nap.

Sparing occasional glances to the demon like she was a snake ready to bite, Laxus turned to Freed. "Find anything out?"

"I haven't figured out anything in the books, Laxus," Freed admitted with a frown. "There's nothing here about mending souls." He brushed his bangs out of his face and grimaced when he noticed his ink covered fingers. "Perhaps Hibiki, or someone from the guild would know what to do."

"Highly doubt it," Laxus muttered.

"Come on, boss, it's worth a try," Bickslow said. His babies weren't in the room. They must have been hiding in Bickslow's bedroom after what happened to one of them last night.

"It's better than doing nothing," Evergreen said.

"Fine," Laxus grumbled. "But we aren't bringing her there. Get him to come here. I don't think it's a good idea to bring her anywhere just yet."

"You do know I'm right here," Lilin said, cracking open an eye.

"Ya, I'm very well aware of that."

"Alright," Freed said. "I'll go give Hibiki a call."

* * *

Hibiki didn't end up being available until the day after. So instead, each of the apartment's residents took turns watching over Lilin. She seemed to take her deal to heart, and caused no trouble for them, but even then, none of them knew what to do with her.

By nightfall, all Laxus wanted to do was to pass out, but he found himself in quite the dilemma. Their tiny apartment miraculously had three rooms in it. Evergreen obviously had her own room, Bickslow and Freed shared a room and he luckily had a room to himself. At least, that's what he thought.

"What are you doing?"

The demon lying underneath the sheets cracked open an eye. "Sleeping, obviously."

"That's my bed."

She pushed herself up onto one elbow, the sheets falling down to her waist. It was revealed to Laxus that, like the dragoness, Lilin slept naked. He couldn't help it, but his body started reacting.

"It's not like you're unfamiliar with this arrangement," she said. "Don't worry," her lips curled into a smile, "I bite. But you like that don't you."

Laxus gulped, trying not to picture what she was suggesting. While creature in front of him had his Sunshine's body, he had to remind himself that she wasn't exactly, well, her. But before he could relegate himself to the chair, she took matters into her own hands.

"O-Oi!"

He was on his back on the mattress and pinned down by a naked demon before he could even take a breath. Not that he could even breathe afterwards. Her hair slipped from her shoulders and trailed along his arm like black silk, causing goosebumps to rise on his skin.

"W-What are you doing? Just yesterday you were aiming to kill me."

"Zeref told me to play nice."

A spark of anger shot through him. "So, _this_ was a part of Zeref's plans as well?"

"No. This," she said, pressing her chest against his, "is from my own desire. It wasn't just my mind that remembers. My body does too." She rocked against him, eliciting an unwarranted groan from his lips.

"S-Stop." He bit his lip, trying to drown out the pleasure with pain.

She sat back. "If you say so. It doesn't have to be you," she said, a smile curling her lips. "I'm sure there are others out there capable of satisfying me. Other demons, wyverns, celestial spirits. I did have quite the wild streak just before I was banished-"

"You wouldn't." Laxus shot upwards and gripped her hips in an attempt to get her to stay. Demon or not, no one would touch her but him.

To his surprise, she barked out a laugh. "I won't." One of her fangs glinted in the moonlight. "That look on your face just now was more than enough." She then reached forward, flicked his forehead and rolled off him, throwing the covers over her body and turning to face the wall. "Goodnight."

Laxus stayed upright, completely stunned, eyes darting between the figure underneath the sheets and the empty space in front of him where she used to be. What just happened? "Are you serious?"

No response.

That's it. This creature was going to drive him crazy.

* * *

The next morning, the Raijinshuu left the apartment before Hibiki arrived. They all agreed that too many people in the apartment would only cause problems. The Raijinshuu would help run errands, while Laxus and Lilin spoke with Hibiki.

Hibiki's entrance was everything Laxus expected it to be. He could practically imagine the burst of flowers wafting in behind him as the man stepped in through the door. _How annoying._ At least the rest of the Trimens knew better than to join him. They may be from the same guild, but the three Blue Pegasus members still rubbed him the wrong way after all this time. They were just too much for the lightning mage to handle.

Hibiki's mouth had opened to make pleasantries, but his jaw dropped when he caught sight of Lilin. "Who is your new friend?" Laxus swore the man had some of his teleportation magic as he was suddenly right next to the demon.

"Hey!" Laxus wanted to interfere, but Lilin had her own agenda. The demon gave the man a smile that could melt even the coldest glacier. Laxus decided right away that he hated that smile. Was this all a game to her?

"I remember you," she said, holding out her hand.

"We've met before?" Hibiki gladly took her hand, placing his lips to her flesh. He stayed there for more than Laxus was comfortable with, in fact, more than the man himself seemed comfortable with.

It took Laxus too long to realize what she was doing.

Nostrils flaring, Laxus ripped her hand from Hibiki's grasp. Hibiki pulled back with a short gasp, looking slightly out of breath. His face was flushed and he seemed flustered. He collapsed back onto the couch nearby, trying to catch his breath.

"What are you doing?" Laxus hissed, pulling her off to the side.

"Taking a snack."

"You can't just do that!"

"Why not?"

Laxus wanted to strangle the woman. "Because you can't."

She laughed. "Just a little isn't going to kill him. Maybe a minute or two off the end of his life. That's all."

"No."

She raised a brow. "What makes you think you can tell me what to do?"

"I can't, but said you'd play by my rules. And not stealing people's lives? That's a rule."

He could see wanted to protest, but apparently her honour was more important.

"Fine." She didn't look pleased.

"Good." He pointed to an empty chair as far away from Hibiki as he could find "Now sit here and be a good little demon."

Her eyes flashed angrily, but to his surprise, she listened to what he said.

Laxus ran a hand through his hair and released a heavy sigh. He turned back to Hibiki, who had slightly recovered his composure, though he still looked slightly out of it.

"A demon?" the man concluded, his eyes darting towards the dark-haired female. "I've never been this close to one before." Laxus was surprised the man didn't retaliate after what Lilin did to him. Then again, he wasn't sure Hibiki could do much against her.

"You can come closer if you want," Lilin beckoned, her words dripping like honey.

Laxus growled, effectively shutting her up.

"You look familiar," Hibiki said.

"Do I?"

"You said we met before. You're Leora, aren't you?" Hibiki guessed.

"In a way, yes."

"What happened?"

Given Hibiki's sincere curiosity and concern, Laxus told him the entire story. Given Hibiki's archive skill, there was a chance he could dig some information up.

"Hmm," Hibiki said. He pulled out his archive and started scanning through a bunch of entries. "Lilin…Lilin…Lilin. Ah. Here it is. Lilin. Daughter of Lilith. Born a little more than four hundred years ago. Some knew her as the Black Death. Lord of the reapers, demons who feed on life and ferry the dead into hell."

"Hmm, more accurate than I thought," she said, leaning back against the chair. She fiddled with the chain around her neck again.

"Was that what you were doing just now?" Hibiki asked, warily.

"What?"

"Feeding on me."

"Perhaps."

Hibiki shivered. It was clear he was questioning whether to stay or not.

"Don't worry," she smiled, revealing a fang. "I won't kill you. I've been told to play nice."

"A-Alright. Well, you disappeared from records almost two-hundred years ago."

"No thanks to myself," she muttered underneath her breath. "I don't see how this is helping my situation."

"Sorry, I just wanted to know what I was dealing with first." Hibiki took a deeper look into his archive. "I've never come across any records on a being surviving with half a soul. I'm surprised you are alive to begin with."

"Demons are heartier than you believe."

"That I wouldn't doubt, but a being as strong as you, no offense, shouldn't be on this earth to begin with."

"What do you mean?" Laxus asked.

"The earth rejects most demons as they are too powerful for the land to handle. Because of this, demons can't normally manifest as beings with a physical presence without an anchor."

 _Anchor._ Laxus remembered Leora mentioning it to him before, at a time that felt so long ago from now. Zeref mentioned it yesterday afternoon, but he had been too enraged to absorb most of that meeting. He asked for the sake of clarification.

Hibiki nodded. "As it sounds, the anchor roots the demon's presence to this earth. For most demons, all they would need is to possess a body. Though, human bodies tend to be unable to stand possession for long, eventually deteriorating. I don't presume that's an issue, given your unique predicament."

"Well, I guess I was lucky my mother chose a dragon, wasn't I?" Lilin answered.

"But you still need an anchor don't you? For a being as powerful as you. You'd need one to control your powers."

"That is none of your concern," Lilin said, shutting him down.

Laxus knew she already had an anchor. _Zeref._

"Just tell me how to fix everything," Lilin said, impatiently.

"Right now, your anchor roots your demon soul to this earth. You need to find a way to root your dragon soul as well. I assume that answer lies between you and Laxus. The Knight's bond is built on mutual trust and understanding. You've both lost that trust. I think rebuilding that first would help kickstart the process."

Lilin raised a brow towards Laxus. "Trust?"

Laxus snorted. "What? You don't trust me?"

"I think it's the other way around, human."

* * *

It was nightfall by the time Hibiki finished imparting the rest of his knowledge to them. Laxus had taken a while to sort through all the information, relying on Freed to make sense of it all. In the end, he had to figure a way to make the demon trust him.

But therein lies the problem. Lilin had been right. He didn't trust her. To him, she was an intruder inside the body of the creature he loved. It pained him to see her walking around, knowing that Leora's soul was shattered inside of her. But what could he really do?

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard Lilin's movement from the couch. The Raijinshuu were immediately alert as well.

Lilin laughed, sarcastically. "Trust. I see you all have a lot of that. Seeing as you don't trust me already..." Before they could react, she fluttered out the door of their apartment.

Laxus sprang to his feet. "You guys stay," he said to the Raijinshuu. "I'll take care of this."

He followed her out. When he located her, Lilin was swiftly maneuvering herself through the streets, as if she was looking for something. She stood out in the crowd, her beauty capturing unwanted attention. He growled at those with wandering eyes before catching up to her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm hungry."

Laxus' mind flashed back to the clearing just two days before, and the bodies that laid in it. He lurched forward, grabbing her wrist and dragging her into an alleyway. "Hell no, you're not taking any of the townsfolk as dinner." But before he could get in another word, she had twisted out of his grip and slammed him against the wall with one hand.

"Let me get something clear," she said, her voice lowering. "I don't know how much the other half of me tolerated, but I for one have no intention of being manhandled."

Laxus pushed down his pride and his anger. "Fine...But regardless, I'm not letting you feed on them. Come with me." He turned down the alleyway, but it was quickly clear that she was not following him. He grit his teeth and turned back around ready to yell at her, but she stood with her hands on her hips as if waiting for something. He sighed. "Please?"

Lilin smiled in victory before heading towards him. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Laxus fought the urge to roll his eyes and led the haughty demoness towards the forest at the edge of time. Once there, it didn't take him long to find what he was looking for.

"A deer?"

Laxus nodded. "You said yourself before that you were able to change your diet to animals. I'm sure you can do it again."

Lilin eyed the grazing deer with impassivity. "So, you're saying that the life of this deer is worth less than the life of a human?"

He was taken aback. "U-Uh, well if you put it that way." He didn't know what to say to that. "I haven't really thought of it that way before."

"Of course, you haven't," she said, scoffing. "Humans have a tendency to put themselves first." She turned away from him and the animal. "A life is a life, whether it is human or animal. So no, I won't be taking its life. It's not his time."

"You say that, but you killed all those people in the clearing just yesterday. How does that make any sense?!"

"Those people made their choice," she said. "Fate declared their death on that day."

"Seriously? Fate?! That's bullshit."

"A human's fate is written from the moment they are born," Lilin explained as if it was all common knowledge. "But contrary to belief, fate can be changed based on the choices of the individual and the ones around them. But there are some choices that lock in one's fate. The moment those humans decided to step into the forest, their fate was sealed. I simply dealt death's blow. I fed off their life energy and ferried their souls to their rightful place."

"That's nonsense," Laxus argued.

"I don't care if you believe me or not," Lilin said, turning to head back towards town. "But that is just the way it is."

Laxus didn't know what he was thinking. His body acted on impulse, but it just felt as though they were getting further apart and it scared them. He didn't recognize this person in front of him. Before he knew it, his arms were wrapped around her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, remaining frozen to the spot.

Laxus didn't answer her immediately, opting instead to tighten his hold around her. He pulled her back against him and buried himself in her hair. She smelt different, light and airy, but it was unpleasant. "Don't do it," he whispered. "The other half of you wouldn't have."

She started to shake. At first, he thought it was due to anger, but when he heard the sounds escaping her throat he realized she was laughing.

"I thought 'I' had already told you this before, Laxus," she started. "But back in the day I used to burn down whole towns for fun."

"I know that but-"

"Did you think that was due to my influence?" He couldn't see her face, but he could hear the mocking smile in her voice. "No, the one who took pleasure in killing those humans was my other half. Your precious little Sunshine. I simply sat back and watched fate unfold. I didn't care, I was fed nonetheless." She twisted in his hold until she faced him. "So," she said, pressing upwards. Her breath danced against his lips. "Do you still love me now?"

Despite her earlier warning, Laxus found himself pressing the demon up against a nearby tree. She glared up at him with anger, but he refused to let go.

"I made peace with the fact that you used to kill humans for sport," he said, leaning into her space. "Because you had changed. Because you had become someone who cared about family and friends. You were someone who wanted to protect, not kill."

She winced, but a stony mask covered her face a second later. "You know what I find interesting? When a bear takes the life of a human, no one seems to blame the animal their actions. Sure, you might come back and kill the beast or you warn the other humans to stay away from them. No one seems to force the bear to change its ways.

"So, tell me, why is it different for me?"

It took a minute for Laxus to be able to answer her heavy question. But he didn't miss her shocked expression when he did.

"Because I neither want to kill you, nor stay away from you."

He paid back her previous kiss with a vengeful one of his own. He laid all his frustrations into that one contact, praying that she would understand. She melted underneath his touch, but before she could respond, he ripped away. A flash of anger ran through her eyes.

He left her there without another word. He decided to trust her to find her way back to the apartment without killing anyone.

She didn't disappoint.

* * *

Laxus believed in quite a lot given his line of work. He believed in demons, and dragons and time travelling portals. He believed in good and evil and karma and other bullshit like that. But the one thing he couldn't believe in was his eyes as he watched Lilin having a casual heart-to-heart with the one man who gave him more creeps than even his own father.

Master Bob.

A shiver went down his spine even at the thought of his name. He had nothing personal against the man, but it felt as though the Blue Pegasus Master was stripping him with his eyes each time he looked at him. To say it was unsettling was an understatement.

Laxus was growing anxious. Somehow, within a blink of an eye, his seven days were coming to an end. He only had two days left. To his surprise, Lilin had held up her end of the bargain. He expected a fight from her, a show of resistance, but to his shock, there was none. She was still wary, and disbelieving of the potential that he could help her, but she played nice. She followed him around, as if that would help re-establish their bond. That included following him to Blue Pegasus.

At first, he was wary, not sure how she would react around other humans, but she seemed civil. Somehow, civil even extended to making acquaintances with the Master and sharing drinks with said Master. While the dragoness had been all but intoxicated by a couple of shots of Hellfire before, now she was sipping it on the rocks like some high-class whisky.

The Raijinshuu were just like him. Completely shocked at her complacency. They were near him, entertaining a few other guests, but like him, their eyes continued to flicker back towards the demon and the Master.

The pair were alone by the bar, with Master Bob playing bartender as always. Tonight she had ditched her traditional clothes and wore a wine-coloured dress instead, apparently wanting to fit in with the atmosphere.

Oh, she fit in all right.

Laxus didn't know how to feel about any of this, about the shattering of her soul and the re-emergence of her demon half. A part of him knew he had to accept it, but it was almost impossible. Each time he saw her face, all he could see was Leora's blonde hair and her golden eyes.

It was like she wasn't his Sunshine anymore. And it stabbed him in the heart each time he realized she was never coming back.

Perhaps that was the reason they hadn't made any progress in the past few days.

* * *

"What's got your gears churning, dearie?"

She didn't turn to him, opting to stare aimlessly out into the club, watching the patrons mingle. "It feels…strange being in this body that belongs to me and having memories that are mine but not my own. It's like watching a film reel in black and white, seeing the images flash across the screen, but having no connection to them. If that makes any sense."

He gave her a soft smile that she saw in her peripherals. "In your situation dear, I would believe it."

Master Bob knew about her situation, as the others only felt it was right if they let him know before bringing her to Blue Pegasus. And despite knowing what she was, he welcomed her with semi-open arms. It surprised her, especially with her prior experience with humans. Aside from the two hundred years she had missed, of course. "You're oddly non-judgemental, Master."

"Ooo," Bob cooed, "calling me Master already?"

She smiled into her glass, swirling its contents. "It has a decent ring to it. Besides, you've been hospitable. Just because I'm a demon, doesn't mean I have to be impolite."

He laughed lightly before answering her seriously. "It's simply not my place to judge dear. You've been placed on this earth for a reason and who am I to say no."

"Oddly wise," she said, spinning back towards him. "I wish others were a little more like you."

"The others...are young. They will come around. Everyone has their place in the world. Whether it is light or dark, life or death. The world needs its balance." He gave her a smile. "And if you ask me, I find your story the most interesting."

She was left speechless for a moment, but she recovered with an arrogant smile. She lifted her glass. "I can drink to that." The pair clinked glasses and she downed the rest of the drink, feeling her cheeks warm. Within minutes another one was in her hand, courtesy of Master Bob.

Her eyes drifted over to where Laxus was sitting. He averted his eyes when he knew he had been caught staring, but she had no problem with studying him herself.

Master Bob giggled once he followed her line of sight. "Interested in one of our new members?"

Her lip curled in amusement as she watched him shrug off yet another girl. "He seems to be doing the opposite of what's supposed to happen here."

"Because he only has eyes for one." Master Bob sighed dramatically, placing a hand to his cheek. "It's such a shame, really. The women, and even some of the men," he said, winking, "are so fond of him."

"I can see the appeal." She snorted when she caught Bob's brow raise. "I'm not blind," but she frowned, "my memories tell me what I should think about him. How I should feel."

"But it doesn't feel like yours."

She nodded. Giving her entire situation a thought, she scoffed. "Apparently, I love the man."

"Apparently?"

"Apparently. But it's clear nothing has come from that." She didn't want to believe that any of this would work. Zeref had told her that rekindling her bond with the dragon slayer would reassemble her soul. But she knew better. The man would not love her. Not like the way that she saw in her memories. That man had eyes for a kind, fair dragoness, not a ruthless demon. She was not that creature anymore, nor would she be ever again.

She had a feeling he wouldn't grasp that.

Humans simply did not fall in love with monsters.

Master Bob's voice dragged her out of her thoughts. "Well, I do believe that those memories and those feelings belong to you, even if it doesn't seem that way at the moment. But if you are concerned, then why don't you make your own memories?"

She sat up a little straighter. "I think I'm starting to like you, Master Bob."

He blushed pink, but answered swiftly. "I'm flattered, but you're not my type." His eyes darted out towards the few young men in the club.

She laughed, the sound likening to chimes ringing in the summer wind. "I can see that." A few minutes later she hopped off the bar stool, thanked Master Bob for his time and proceed to stroll towards the entrance of the club.

"O-Oi," Laxus said, immediately getting to his feet. "Where are you going?"

She glanced back, not to Laxus but to Master Bob, giving him a wink. "To make my own memories."

Laxus looked to Master Bob, but all he did was wink back at him. A shiver ran up Laxus' spine, but the Raijinshuu stopped him.

"Don't worry, Laxus," Evergreen said. "We'll watch over her. Take a breather."

"Alright," he said. "Don't let her do anything stupid."

* * *

The Raijinshuu looked to themselves warily as they watched the eager demon bounding down the street. Lilin hopped from store to store, surprisingly fascinated with what they had to offer.

"You look as though you've never seen a lacrima vision before," Bickslow commented. The demon was currently sticking her face inches away from one of them.

"They didn't have these two hundred years ago," she said, tapping a clawed finger against the screen. Her nose scrunched in curiosity. "And they definitely didn't have them in hell."

He winced. He was conflicted. After what she had done to one of his babies, he tried to hold it against her. But it was hard. A part of him knew how painful it must have been to sever a soul like that, only to have it come back half formed. Out of the Raijinshuu, Bickslow was the one who understood the most. Hell wasn't a place souls wanted to go. He couldn't imagine being there for a second, let alone two hundred years.

Lilin moved on. Evergreen accompanied the female as they next few shops were mainly clothing shops.

Bickslow and Freed hung back, waiting for them to finish.

"What do you think, Bickslow?" Freed asked.

He sighed. "I don't know. It's tough. Every time I look at her I see-"

"Leora?"

"Yea. And I know its not fair."

"But you can't help it."

He nodded. He knew her demon soul had just as much right to her body as her dragon soul did, but it was difficult not to look at her and imagine the bright, blonde dragoness that left them behind. He had a feeling Laxus was having the same issue.

Catching Evergreen's somber eye as the pair left the store, Bickslow knew it was the same for all of them.

Their afternoon went quiet smoothly, to the Raijinshuu's surprise, until Lilin suddenly veered off the main street. She headed down a side street, looking quite concentrated. The Raijinshuu followed with curiosity until she stopped at one particular house. It was a small, quaint home, with a lawn covered in snow. There was an old woman by the window, dusting the ledge.

"Why did you come here?" Evergreen asked. "This is Mrs. Fawn's home." Mrs. Fawn owned the neighbourhood pastry shop. She was an elderly woman, who always gave Evergreen an extra apple turnover whenever she came in. She remembered that the woman had a sick husband, of whom she took care of.

 _Sick husband…_

"The man inside the house has reached the end of his life," Lilin said.

"Wait, you can't be thinking of that."Evergreen had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She didn't like where this was heading. She didn't like the look in her eyes. "You promised Laxus."

"I said I won't kill unnecessarily. But that doesn't mean I'm going to neglect my duty."

"Duty?" Freed asked.

"Believe it or not, even demons serve a purpose on this earth. You know what I am and you know what it is I do." She turned to Evergreen. "The other reapers have passed him because I have already claimed this land as my own. You are aware that the man suffers with each prolonged day that he lives, so why do you condemn him to that."

"You don't know that," Evergreen said, shaking her head. "He wants to live. I'm sure of it."

"I know because I can feel it. That old man is not afraid of death, so why are you?"

Before Evergreen could stop her, Lilin had already disappeared in a wisp of black smoke. Evergreen's eyes darted back towards the window and her stomach dropped when Mrs. Fawn suddenly turned her head back into the house. The elderly woman dropped everything and moved away from the window.

Evergreen looked to the window on the second floor and saw Mrs. Fawn hunched over, hands over her face. She knew what had been done.

When Lilin reappeared in front of them, Evergreen was filled with rage and hurt. She didn't understand why that man had to die. "Don't you feel anything for the human life? How could you be such a heartless monster!" She would regret her words an hour later.

Lilin's eyes flashed dark and her entire body stiffened. "It that is how you feel, then so be it." She turned down the road, not bothering to see if they would follow.

Bickslow and Freed didn't say a word.

* * *

On the seventh day, Laxus dragged Lilin out on a mission. He wasn't aware of what had happened between her and the Raijinshuu the day before, but whatever it was, none of them were willing to voice it. Lilin had gone uncharacteristically silent.

To make matters worse, they had made no progress with each other. In fact, they only seemed to grow farther apart.

Over the past week, Laxus couldn't help but draw differences between the demonic and draconic versions of her. While Leora had been reckless and outspoken, Lilin remained calm and calculating for the most part, as if she was planning things inside that pretty head of hers. Their contrasting views on humanity were blatantly obvious as well.

He missed the way Leora and him used to fight, even if it was over silly things.

But that didn't mean they didn't have similarities. They were both blunt, and carried an almost childish level of curiosity. And somehow, they both managed to see right through him.

Laxus knew it was wrong to compare the two like this. They were two sides of the same person after all.

He had a slight feeling she was waiting out the seven days. He could see it in her eyes. She was like a prowling tigress, waiting, pacing back and forth behind a cage just waiting to be sprung free.

A slight rumble in the ground alerted him back to his mission. It was supposed to be simple. A monster elimination request by a town down south. It was still fall down there and nearing the end of their harvest season. Apparently, some giant moles were tearing up their farm lands and messing with their crops. All he had to do was take care of them and receive the reward in return.

Simple. Right?

"What are you doing?!" he shouted over the noise. Somehow within the span of a minute, all turned to chaos. Dirt and vegetation flying everywhere he looked. The creatures came in and out of giant holes in the ground and he was stuck playing an enormous version of whack-a-mole. All while trying to stop the demon from nuking the entire field.

"Completing the mission," Lilin replied simply. Her scythe was raised in the air, death energy swirling ominously around it like a dark cloud.

"Damn it!" He lightning teleported to the demon and grabbed hold of her hand. "Stop that." He had a feeling if she swung that godforsaken weapon, there would be nothing left.

"I'm trying to help."

"You're going to destroy the entire field."

"Your faith in me is disappointing. Now let go."

"No." Laxus found himself in a shameless tug of war between himself and Lilin. Both grabbing hold of the handle of the scythe. The harder they fought, the angrier the energy around her weapon became. It swirled dark and heavy, growing unpredictable, lashing out.

"Why won't you trust me?!" she shouted in exasperation.

"Because I can't! Because you're not her!"

For a second, he thought he saw a flash of pain in her eyes, but it was gone before he could acknowledge it. In its place was anger.

Neither of them noticed the giant mole that barrelled towards them until it was right in front of them. In his panic, he released the grip on Lilin's scythe and knocked the mole back with a well-timed punch.

By the time either of them heard the sharp scream, it was too late.

"No." Laxus choked back a cry when he saw the body caught underneath the giant creature. A young woman, no older than her early twenties. Her legs were crushed. Her chest was breathing heavily, her lips parted in a silent scream. He thought he had cleared everyone out of the way, but somehow, he missed her.

Laxus rushed over to help her, but by the time he lifted the body off of her legs, it was already too late. Her body was going into shock. She was going to die.

A flutter of darkness swept past him and towards his body. He reached out and grabbed her without missing a beat. "No. You've already done enough."

She turned around in a rage, fire blazing in her eyes. It was the most emotion he had seen in her in days. "And what have I done? I wasn't the one who was holding me back. I wasn't the one who refused to trust me. It was you! If anyone had anything to do about this. It was you!"

Her words struck him hard. She was right. It was all his fault.

She ripped herself away from him and knelt beside the body.

The woman, on the verge of death, seemed to recognize Lilin for what she was. "Are you here to take me away?"

"Is that what you wish?" Lilin asked. A wave of calm seemed to resonate from the demon's body, washing over him and the woman lying on the ground.

"N-No. I don't want to die. There are still so many things I need to do. I-I'm still so young…"

"What are you willing to give to survive?"

The woman answered with no hesitation. "Anything."

By the time Laxus realized what she was doing, it was too late.

"Including your soul?"

Her eyes darkened in understanding, but she still answered, "Yes."

"Very well." Lilin leaned down to take the woman's lips. Her body pulsed and Laxus could almost sense the chains being formed, reaching towards the woman and latching onto essence of the woman's soul.

Laxus was torn. He wanted to say that this was all wrong, that what Lilin was doing was unnatural. But here she was, cleaning up his mistake, giving the woman another chance at life. He didn't know what was right or wrong anymore.

When Lilin pulled back, the woman's legs had already healed. She gently moved to her feet, her legs a little unsteady.

"Will you be collecting soon?" The woman asked, slightly worried.

Lilin rose, though she looked slightly pale. "I will collect when you are ready."

A smile graced the woman's face. "T-Thank you." She hurried down the road, as if she wasn't minutes from death just moments before.

It was silent in the field after the woman left. Laxus didn't notice when Lilin had taken care of the rest of the moles, but she had.

"L-Lilin I-"

"Save it. I know that in your eyes, in all of your eyes, I will always just be a monster."

"That's not true." He reached out to her, but she moved away from him. He could see her pain clearly. Her hands were clenched so tight he could smell blood.

"Clean up the mess. I'm heading back to camp." She disappeared into the woods, not once looking back at him.

Laxus knew he had messed up. If he had trusted her just a little more, maybe the events of that day would've never happened.

* * *

He found her later that night bathing in the lake near their campsite. For a moment, the image was so familiar to him. A woman's silhouette standing in the middle of the lake, water droplets trailing down her creamy skin. There was no blood this time around, nor was her hair a bright blonde. But he found himself mesmerized nonetheless.

When she turned to him, her eyes were blank. She looked like the doll that Zeref showed up when they first reunited. She had shut herself off from him.

His heart squeezed in pain. He would take her wrath any day if it meant she would show him emotion.

"I'm sorry."

He saw a flicker pass through her eyes, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. He walked into the lake, not caring that he was still wearing clothes. Wading through the water, he reached for her and when she didn't move away, he grew even more worried. Where was the spark he was used to seeing? Where was the fire?

All he saw was ice.

He felt a stab in his heart. "Please say something."

She didn't.

The gleam of the light drew him towards the amber around her neck. Remembering her previous reaction, Laxus grabbed for the amber. Almost instantly she began to struggle against him, trying to push him away. He held her tight to him, but didn't let go. If this was the only way to bring her back to him, he didn't care.

His breath hitched when he heard her growl. He almost thought he would see blonde, but that was a dream too far away. Instead, eyes black as night glared up at him, anger finally seeping in.

He'll take it.

"You're hopeless."

"I know. I'm trying, I really am. It's just difficult."

"Because I'm not your Sunshine."

"That's not-"

She pinned him with a knowing look. "There's no need to lie. I'm a little more aware than my other half. I can see it in your eyes. The way you view me with that glazed look of yours. You don't see me."

Laxus winced. "You're right." He admitted that each time he glanced upon her person, he was looking, searching for the dragoness he knew was underneath, hoping to find her. Each time he came back disappointed. "But I want to change that."

"Why?"

"Because its not fair to you, to either of us. But we need to start on even ground. I know nothing about you. This half of you that is. I want answers."

For a second there, Lilin looked as though she would comply. Her body relaxed and her lips parted. But then her face twisted into something he could only see as pain. She whipped away, putting distance between them. Then Laxus heard her coughing.

"What's wrong?" He tried to pull her back to him, but she slapped his hands away.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. Then something in her changed. "No. I'm done playing by your rules. I gave you seven days. Tonight's the beginning of the eighth."

Laxus started to panic. "Seven days was too short."

"Zeref managed to bring me back in that time."

"Well I'm not Zeref!" His shout awakened the birds in the trees. Zeref this, Zeref that. He had enough of hearing about the black mage. Laxus took a minute to regain his composure. "Look, I'm sorry. I tried. I really did. But I can't just fall in love with-"

"A demon?" she finished for him, her eyes darkening. She stalked towards him and something about her aura made Laxus backpedal through the water. He ran out of space when his foot hit a rock and he fell backwards onto it.

She didn't stop until she was right in front of him. "You're right. You don't fall in love with demons." She straddled his lap, leaving Laxus painfully aware of just how close they were. How only a thin layer of clothing separated them. Her eyes grew dark and heavy with lust and some other emotion he couldn't identify. "You get entranced by them. _Enthralled_ by them. Until you can think of nothing else, but them."

She brushed a thumb across his lips and he shuddered involuntarily. She whispered, "So why don't you surrender to me now. I don't have time to wait for your half-baked feelings."

That snapped him partially out of his daze, but the moment she replaced her thumb with her own lips he was lost again. He was drowning in her aura and intoxicated by her presence. He found himself responding shamelessly, lips pressing harder, hands pulling her in closer. One of her hands was trapped against his chest, palm right over his mark. It burned.

She released his lips and Laxus felt lightheaded. He was losing the battle, but he knew he had to fight back. This wasn't how he wanted things to go.

"W-Wait."

"No." And with that, lips were pressing burning trails down his neck. His whole body was on fire and his groin throbbed. "It's time I took matters into my own hands. This is how it worked the first time around, no?" Her right hand remained firmly against his chest, but her left was quickly moving down to dangerous territory. "First you conquered my body, then my heart? That means I can do the same for you."

The way she made it sound was so wrong. It was enough to break him of the intoxicating hold she had over him.

His hand moved to push her off, but the moment he touched her chest, right over her own mark, a massive jolt of electricity passed through his veins. It lit up his entire body and for a second he could _feel_ her. His eyes widened in shock only to find hers just the same.

Their bond. He could feel it. For that short moment, he felt the re-emergence of something that was shattered. Happiness and hope filled his veins as he looked at her and all he could think of was…

 _Sunshine._

It was over as fast as it came. She recoiled, pulling back as if he had burned her. He looked to her in confusion, and for a split second he saw pain clearly in her eyes. Pain which he had felt just before their connection was lost with the loss of her touch. Pain which turned to anger, then hatred.

Laxus was too aware of what caused her shift in behaviour, but she was gone before he could even utter a word of apology.

He screwed up.

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to regain his breath. He had to stop looking for something he knew would never come back. He knew that. The Sunshine he fell in love with was gone. To be honest, he felt cheated. He never really knew the real Leora.

He had to force himself to admit it. His Sunshine was dead.

He felt the same twisted pain in his heart as the pain from the night she left him. It tore at him from the inside, making him want to vomit. Unwanted tears slipped down his cheek. But after a long while, he felt a weight lift from his chest.

He could breathe again.

Stepping out of the lake, he knew what he had to do.

He wasn't lying before. He wanted to know the demon in front of him. He owed it to himself and to her. As nauseating as it sounded, he would learn to love again and when she was finally whole, he will learn to love a third time.

He just hoped she had it within her to love him back.

* * *

She cursed the gods and powers above and below for bestowing upon demons the ability to feel. She didn't know where she was going, noticing only dirt and rock beneath her feet as she ran away with just a thin robe to cover her. Each pulse of her painfully twisted heart drummed inside her head, not silencing even as she screamed her frustrations to the sky.

She collapsed to her knees in the middle of a nameless clearing. Hands shaking, breath lost.

Those feelings. That small connection in that small moment had re-established the emotions that came with the strongest of her 'missing' memories. Memories which contained love, loss and companionship.

The day she first joined Fairy Tail. The day Mavis died. The day she was woken by the dragon slayer. The day they bonded as Knight and Dragon. The day he gave her the necklace. The day he confessed. The day she confessed.

The day she told him she loved him, which was the same day that she lost him.

Those days all came back to her with overwhelming emotions.

No. They weren't her memories. These feelings didn't belong to her.

' _Yes. They do. They belong to us.'_

She growled, trying to get rid of the voice in her head. She couldn't go back there. Not now. Not back to the man who looked completely past her.

' _You're wrong. He loves us.'_

"No, he loves you!" she shouted, even though her dragon half was inside her mind. She must've looked insane, talking to herself out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe that was it. She was going insane.

Her mind was thrown back to reality when a different pain wracked her body. One hand gripped at her chest and the other covered her mouth as she coughed violently. When she stopped, she lifted her hand away from her lips, wincing, but not surprised to find blood on her palm. She could taste the iron in her mouth.

" _I don't have time for your half-baked feelings"_

She breathed through the pain, sitting back against the grass. She hadn't lied to him when she had said that.

She was running out of time.

Fast.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sorry this took so long. I think I rewrote this at least three or four times because I just couldn't get it right. This was the best I could do without ripping it apart again. I just needed to get this out there. Please bear with me.**_

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


	36. Arc IV-36: To care for a human

**Chapter 36**

The shot glass slammed down onto the table, the sound ringing despite the loud jazz band behind her. There was a faint murmur of conversation inside the establishment, but almost all creatures inside avoided the female slumped by the bar.

"Another?"

The creature behind the bar, tall and broadly built, pushed another glass of liquid forwards. The female flickered her eyes up, taking in the curved horns on his head, the slit pupils in eyes and the sharp fangs in his mouth.

"Yes."

Lilin swiped the alcohol from the demon, with a displeased grumble. She kicked back the shot, embracing the burn and fighting the shiver down her spine. _Stupid dragon slayer._ She continued to curse the man inside her head. Anger and frustration boiled underneath her skin at the thought of him.

After the…incident earlier that night, she had run off. In her state, she had searched for an escape from reality, from the troubles of her soul and the troubles of her body. Somehow she had managed to stumble upon this demon's bar in the middle of a human's town. It was fascinating. It had drawn her in, and as soon as she had neared the establishment, she sensed the demon signatures inside.

Silas – who's name she had learned a few minutes prior – chuckled. "Much better than that soft human booze, isn't it? Can't get any of this from them. Their weak little bodies can't handle it."

"Aren't you in one of them right now?"

"Modified," he responded, taking a spin in front of her. A thick, pointed tail flickered behind him. "For the better, I say. So, what brings you to our establishment? Young princess."

"None of your business," Lilin quipped, obviously not in the mood for talking. She had appreciated the wide berth the other demons had left her, but for some reason, this one wouldn't leave her alone. "How do you even manage to keep this place-"

"Undetected?" the demon finished. "The proper spells. Been running this bar myself for over a century now. The locals love it." He leaned forward with a slick smile. "Without burning up my body, if I say so myself. Quite proud of my achievement."

Lilin's eyes widened. "How?" she asked, though in hindsight, she realized it came out more like a slur.

The whole place was riddled with demons, but she could sense that they were weak, strong enough to pass to this earth without the need to possess a human body. But her bartender on the other hand, he was definitely stronger. To last in a single human's body for that long was unheard of.

"It's all about reining in the power, princess. Keeps the body from breaking down. I bet it's something you need to work on."

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"No offense, princess, but you reek of power," Silas said, gesturing to her. "Why do you think the rest of them are avoiding you? It's unsettling."

She glanced down at her hand, curling it into a weak fist. Hard to do much when you're seeing double. "Then…how do I rein it in?"

"Well, this is a first. Can't say I've had a demon such as yourself ask me for any advice." He placed his open palm onto the bar top. His black-tipped claws flexed and Lilin watched with odd fascination as the slight power she detected from the man multiplied. For a moment she could see it fester, darkness dancing around his hand. "Concentrate, reel it in." The darkness stilled, shivered and receded back into the demon's body.

Lilin attempted the same thing. She closed her eyes, and while her power wasn't physically visible – not at the moment at least – she could sense it flowing around her. The demon was right, her power was all over the place. A product of her incomplete soul perhaps. Concentrating, she slowly pulled it back into her body.

"Better," Silas said, passing her another drink. Lilin was happy to take it. "I don't suppose that was all that you came here for?"

Lilin snorted, shaking her head, though the action made her dizzy. She had almost forgotten the potency of demon liquor. "It's complicated."

"Anything to do with that human over there?" Silas asked, gesturing towards the commotion that was building near the underground entrance to the bar.

Lilin swiveled around, her vision slightly blurry. She made out a head of blonde hair and a cloud of sparks. She cursed to herself when she noticed the other demons flocking to the dragon slayer.

"He yours?" Silas asked, taking a sniff. "Wait, no, he's unclaimed."

A spark of annoyance, coupled with something else, flashed through Lilin's body. Annoyance won over and she spun back around. "Don't know him."

Silas cracked a smile. "If you say so." His eyes lit up. "Ah, you know what, I believe i have something that might interest you." Silas turned and grabbed something from the billboard behind him. It was an old, folded sheet of paper.

Lilin reached for the paper, and snarled when Silas pulled his hand back.

"Ah, you didn't think you'd get this for free, did you, princess?"

"What do you want?" she hissed.

"Payment," he answered, sending her a wolfish grin, "of the finest quality, of course."

Lilin huffed, but held out her wrist in front of her. She stiffened when he grabbed hold of it, lifting it slowly to his lips.

"To think I'd get to sample from such a fine wine," Silas said. His lips pulled back, revealing sharp fangs.

Lilin had always thought the demon's form of currency was archaic. Blood, energy, sacrifice. Was there nothing more efficient?

"Hurry it up," she said. Behind her a small commotion was stirring, but she didn't bother to look. She did, however, wince when she thought she heard a growl.

Silas' eyes darkened and his pupils dilated. He lowered his fangs to her wrist and was about to sink into her flesh when the scent of lightning punched through the air, followed by a loud crackle sounding from behind her. Her wrist was ripped from Silas' grasp and her body was pulled back into a hard chest. An arm snaked around her waist, securing her position.

"Hands off her."

Laxus' eyes were a darkened grey and his snarl was vicious. Lightning crackled around his body.

Silas lifted his hands up, his lips teasing into a smile. "Careful there, human. You don't have many friends here."

"Like I give a damn about that," Laxus replied, tightening his hold around her. "And what is a demon's den doing in the middle of a human town?"

"No particular reason. We bounce around from place to place. Keeps it easier for us to stay hidden from folk like you," Silas responded, his voice hinting at the threat.

Laxus wanted to protest, but Lilin placed a hand against his chest.

"Don't," she said. She turned back to Silas. "He won't do anything."

"I'll trust you," Silas said, "but can you do something about your little pet? He's gaining more attention that I'd like."

"I'm not a damn pet-" Laxus was cut off when he felt hands at his back. He cast an eye over his shoulder to see a swarm of demons around him staring at him as if he was their next meal.

As if he was going to let that happen.

One particular demoness was being quite forward. "I'll take you, human," she said, her voice hissing like a snake. She had long fangs and green slitted pupils. Her skin was made of scales. "I'll take care of you better than that half-blood princess. I'll even overlook the fact that you reek like dragons." Disgust was written all over her face, but it was mixed with bloodlust that was coming off her in waves.

Laxus had no idea what the crazy snake demon was saying. He was prepared to electrocute the demon when he heard a frustrated hiss. There was a sharp pull on his collar before soft lips pressed against his own. His eyes widened when he noticed who it was. Her tongue passed through his lips, entangling with his own. In that moment, he lost concentration on anything but her. All he felt was her fingers threading into his hair and her body pressing against his. He was drowning.

Then he felt it. The slow prodding against his soul, the snake of a chain wrapping around it. Not painfully, but snug enough for him to feel it.

Then her lips were gone. Laxus opened his eyes – unaware he had closed them in the first place – and watched as Lilin pulled back, eyes even blacker than normal. She hissed a word to the other demons that made his heart skip.

"Mine."

The snake demon hissed back, but reluctantly slunk away. The rest of the demons also returned to their seats as if he was no longer up for grabs.

 _What just happened?_ Laxus thought. He turned his attention back to Lilin, but noticed she was talking to the bartender again. The one whose hands were a little too friendly with her earlier. He wanted to say something, but the moment he opened his mouth he felt something compel him to stay silent.

He couldn't speak.

He glared at the black-haired demoness once he realized what was happening.

"Sorry," Lilin said to Silas. She barely felt the wave of animosity coming from behind her. Only because her brain was still reeling over her admission just now. _Mine…?_

' _That's because he is ours.'_

She silenced the voice in her head, deeming it ridiculous. The emotions that she had regained – the ones that pulsed with happiness and love – begged to differ as well.

Lilin shook her head to clear out her head. Getting back to business before a certain dragon slayer cleared the bar, she held out her wrist again, but Silas shook his head.

"Oh, no thank you, princess." He laughed. "That just now was more than worth it. Much more entertaining than the regular mess I get around here anyways." He held out the folded paper to her between two fingers. "You've earned it."

Lilin looked at him warily, but decided to make a grab for the paper – twice due to the alcohol – prompting a small chuckle from the demon. She gave the parchment a curious glance once it was in her hand.

"Thanks." She stuffed the paper down her chest and gave him a small nod of the head before making Laxus leave with her. She tried not to stumble on the way out; the floor seemed to have duplicated itself. "We should go." Lilin could feel the alcohol taking over now after her small adrenaline rush subsided.

"Good luck with your pet, princess," Silas called out, just as they were leaving the underground demon bar.

Lilin flinched, knowing that would anger the upset dragon slayer even more, but the damage had been done. Once outside, she watched as the bar flickered out of existence, most likely moving to a new location.

* * *

The moon was still high in the sky, illuminating their path as they trekked back to their campsite in the early hours of the morning.

Laxus had had a speech prepared. One which involved yelling at the black-haired demon about the insanity of her binding him to her without his consent – even if it was only temporary. One which involved her disappearing out of the blue without letting him know – even though it was partially his fault.

Unfortunately, given his current inability to speak, he was left brooding in his anger. Apparently, his dark glares at her back weren't enough to get her to remove whatever hold she had over his windpipes.

Once they arrived back at their campsite in the middle of the woods, Laxus had enough of the silence. Grasping her wrist, he tugged Lilin around to face him. With a scowl on his face, he pointed to his neck.

She laughed, though it sounded like a drunken giggle. _What did they serve her?_ "I like it better when you're silent. You're less annoying."

He snarled at her and she sighed.

"Fine."

Laxus felt the chains around his soul unravel and soon the tightness around his vocal cords released.

Unfortunately, of all the things he could have said, he blurted out, "Who was that back there?" Damn, his jealously really needed to be reined in.

He didn't even blame her for rolling his eyes. "Does it matter?"

Laxus' teeth clenched. "Of course, it does."

"Don't worry." She waved lazily over her shoulder as she stumbled into their tent. "I won't ruin your precious Sunshine's body."

He flinched, following her inside. "That wasn't what I meant."

"Oh, really?" She sat herself down on their sleeping bags and glanced up at him through hooded eyes. "So, you would've been fine if I gave that demon my blood."

His answer was immediate. "No." His inner dragon bristled in anger at just the thought of it. He stalked over to her. His eyes commanded her attention and to his pleasure she didn't look away. "Why did you offer it to him in the first place?"

"It's payment," Lilin replied, nonchalantly.

"For?" He was unnecessarily close, but he didn't like the scent of those unknown demons all over her body. He wanted to replace it with something more pleasing.

"None of your business," she said, taunting him with a curt smile. She pulled back away from him, Laxus wasn't having any of that. He pounced, caging her underneath him as she fell back.

She snarled up at him, but he answered with his own growl of displeasure. He searched her eyes, but they refused to provide her with an answer. Trailing down, he then noticed something peering out of the valley of her breasts.

"Hey!"

The parchment in his hands before she knew it. He waved the piece of paper between his fingers in front of her as he sat straddling her hips. Raising his brow he said, "So, it doesn't have anything to do with this?"

She reached upwards, but he lifted it away, unfolding it in the process. His eyes skimmed over its contents and his brows furrowed in confusion.

"A job request?"

Lilin sighed, having resigned herself to answering his questions. "Keeping reading." At some point, her alcohol-induced brain decided to keep itself pre-occupied by playing with the waistband of his jeans while he did. A surge of hunger passed through her, a consequence of not having fed for the past week.

Laxus tried his best to ignore what she was doing, but it was proving hard. "It's…for a demon extermination. You do those?"

She made a noise of affirmation. She sat up. He lifted the request farther away from her, but that wasn't what she was going for anymore. Feeding her impulse, she grazed a hand along the strip of flesh that was now revealed to her, trailing her fingers up his chest and underneath his shirt. She grinned when she felt his muscles ripple.

"We demons are not all one and the same," she explained, finding a spot she liked on his neck and pressing her lips to his rapid pulse. By now, the blonde had gone completely stiff. "Occasionally there are rogues, ones that draw too much attention. So, we take care of them," she bit down, drawing a lovely hiss of his breath, "so we aren't exposed."

Laxus tried to remain calm enough to draw more information, but the request in his hand was quivering. "So, this one, is one of them?"

She nodded. "You should be happy, we're doing you mages a favour, taking care of scary demons for you."

"And why you?"

"Why not me?" She sucked against his pulse, and he groaned. "I'm available and I'm nearby."

Laxus knew there was more to that, but was getting too distracted to even care. Somehow, he had already lost his shirt. When did that even happen?

"What are you doing?" he asked, through clenched teeth. He was trying to have a decent conversation with her and she was molesting him.

"I'm starving," she breathed into his ear, trying to hold back the whine that would've made it obvious how desperate she truly was. "I feed off energy." She began to trail sloppy kisses down his neck, delighted at the shivers she elicited. "Life energy is the most potent, most _satisfying_ , but since I've been discouraged from that form of feeding," she deliberately bit at his neck, "I have to go for the next best thing."

She hissed when he grabbed her hands, pinning them together in front of him.

"No," Laxus said, his voice audibly strained. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will his body not to respond. As much as he wanted her, he wanted to do it right this time. That meant moving in the correct order.

But her low whine had his heart clenching. "Hungry…" By now, her eyes had darkened so much only the smallest sliver of gold remained.

Laxus hadn't realized that she had been this deprived of energy. He knew she would've never acted like this in any other circumstance. _Shit._ "Is there anything else you can feed off of?"

" _Magic…"_ She squirmed, trying to get closer to him, but his legs had a firm grip of her hips and his hand her wrists.

 _Magic. I can do magic._ Laxus shifted her wrists into one hand and held out the other. Lightning started to spark in his palm.

Her pupils dilated as she leaned forward to feed off his palm. A small swell of contentment settled in his chest as he watched. As a dragon, she had fed him her lightning multiple times, but never was he able to do the same for her. Now that has changed.

He loosened his hold on her wrists and smiled when she moved to grasp his hand. She devoured his lightning and when it was gone, she looked up at him with more hunger. "More… "

"W-Wait-"

Laxus felt the brush of her demonic power against his body and his magic immediately moved to respond. His body lit up in sparks in defense, lighting up the entire tent.

She grinned, her lips latching onto his collar and feeding off his magic. Through the haze of her hunger she could detect hints of his voice, a mix between the sounds of her name and soft groans as she moved across his chest and licked at the electrified skin.

"S-Shit…"

Laxus had his hands fisted in the fabric as he fought the urge to take the demon then and there. Her hands ran up and down his skin, followed by her tongue as she fed. And Mavis was she greedy. He went lightheaded from the loss of his magic, but he stopped caring.

At some point he found himself on his back, adrift in a thin haze of pleasure as she ate from his body. Her lips moved down his torso, tracing his tattoo and their mark before moving onto his abdomen. The tent started to dim again as she ate up the sparks that danced along his skin.

When she stopped, just above the waistband of his jeans, Laxus was panting, high-strung and completely aroused. She glanced up at him, with one lazy eye, satisfaction written across her face. His breath hitched when she ran a finger up along his hard-on in his jeans, picking up the last stray spark of lightning before sucking that finger into her mouth.

Laxus instinctively reached for her when she rolled off of him, but she smacked his hands away.

"You said no…right?" she said, mockingly. She yawned dramatically and rolled to her side, facing away from him. Within seconds, she was fast asleep.

Laxus ran over every single curse in the book inside his head. Willing his problem to go away, with great difficulty, he let out a huge sigh.

Again, this creature was going to kill him.

* * *

"We're coming with you."

"No."

"That wasn't a question, Lilin."

"The response is still no."

"Then, I'll just follow you."

"You are well aware that I could just fly."

"Then, you're well aware that I would just track you down."

There was a hiss and a growl before a cough interrupted both of them.

"At this rate, no one will be going anywhere," Freed pointed out.

Lilin glared at the both of them before stomping out of the apartment. Job request in hand, she proceeded down the road, no longer caring whether Laxus or the Raijinshuu followed. They wanted to come? Fine, it was their funeral.

It was a tense trip for the group of five. The silence was so thick they could cut it with a knife.

Thankfully, after two hours they had finally reached their destination.

Bickslow released a loud sigh of relief. "We're here."

They had reached a small town north of Blue Pegasus. A few merchants were entering the town as well on horse-drawn carriages. A few of them gave Lilin a second glance, but thankfully none were brave enough to comment on the black-eyed demon.

Lilin strolled through the street, casually stealing an apple from a market stand on the way. Laxus rolled his eyes and he caught himself comparing the demon to the dragoness. Both were incapable of grasping the concept of money. He hurried up behind her, while Freed apologized to the merchant, paying him the jewels for the stolen good.

Bickslow took a second look at the flyer and pointed out the mansion at the top of the hill on the outskirts of town. "There's our destination. It says the master of the estate will be waiting for us."

Laxus frowned as they neared the estate. Something made him feel uneasy about the place.

"This place seems creepy," Evergreen said, shivering. He had a feeling she wasn't shivering from the cold.

Lilin stopped in front of the main doors. He watched as her eyes scanned the entire mansion. She mumbled words underneath her breath.

"What are you waiting for?" Laxus asked, studying her while she mumbled soft words underneath her breath. He listened a little more carefully. "Wait. Are you planning?"

"What of it?"

Laxus could sense the surprise with the Raijinshuu as well. Leora was known for rushing into things. He never thought he would see the day where she would plan. He was forced to hide a grin as he waited.

She pulled her hair up into a ponytail. When she caught him staring at her, she asked, "What?"

"N-Nothing," Laxus replied, glancing away. That gesture of hers just now…Leora used to tie her hair up like that as well.

Lilin threw open the doors and strolled inside casually. "Is the master of the house here?" Her voice echoed.

The inside of the mansion was surprisingly empty. There was a spiral staircase on one end, a chandelier to the ceiling, and a few tables, but aside from that, it was unfurnished. _Odd_.

They waited for a few minutes, but they got no response.

"Oi-" Laxus started.

Another voice cut him off. "Do I have guests?"

Laxus spun around, alarmed. A young man was standing by the closed door. He was handsome, with snow white hair and deep red eyes. He was dressed cleanly and carried a smile on his face. When had he gotten there?

Freed gave a small bow. "We're here for the job request."

The smile grew wider. "Oh, how lovely. Please come in." The man gestured towards a side room, taking a long look at Lilin as she passed him by.

They were led to a large dining hall. Like the foyer, it was relatively empty, save for a long table in the middle. They sat down and waited for the man to talk. In the back of his mind, Laxus noticed something strange. There were no servants here, despite the size of the mansion.

"I'm pleased I received such a swift response," the man said. "My name is Lawrence, I'm the master of this house."

"Lawrence," Lilin repeated, rolling the name across her tongue. Her eyes were pinned on the man as if she was studying him.

"And yours?"

She smiled. "You can call me-

"Lilin, her name is Lilin," Laxus interrupted. Leora had once told him the importance of a name and here she was now, so eager to personally gift it? What the hell was that?!

Laxus thought he saw the man wince, but he must've been mistaken. He was startled when the man responded by taking her hand, placing a kiss on her knuckles.

"What a unique name."

Irritation rose from his gut, but Laxus pushed it down for the sake of the job. "Let's just get to business. You mentioned a demon?"

"Ah yes. It appears my poor house is haunted by a demon. Apparently, its been present since my ancestors lived here two centuries ago. I obviously didn't believe the stories they told, until my staffers slowly started disappearing one by one. I believe this is the work of the demon." Lawrence frowned. "I sent home the rest of my staffers for their safety until this is resolved."

"Why did you stay?" Evergreen asked.

"I am the master of the house, I cannot simply leave it unattended. Even if there is a demon on the loose."

"Don't worry, sir," Freed said, politely. "We will take care of this. Do you happen to have an idea of where the demon could be hiding?"

Lawrence shook his head. "My staff have reported disappearances from multiple areas of the mansion. I'm afraid I can't pinpoint one location."

"We should split up," Laxus said. "Raijinshuu take the east end of the house. Lilin and I will take the west."

The Raijinshuu nodded and Lilin appeared to have no qualms about the arrangement.

"Oh, if you don't mind," Lawrence added. "I would like to join you on your investigation."

"No," Laxus said, immediately.

"A-Ah, what he means is, Mr. Lawrence," Freed said, trying to salvage the client relationship, "it will be very dangerous. We don't know what can happen."

"But who will protect me while you're gone?"

Lilin responded before either lightning or rune mage could. "I will. You can come with us."

Anger flickered in Laxus' eyes. "No-"

The screech of a chair swallowed up Laxus' protest as Lilin rose to her feet. "Now that's settled, I believe we have a demon to find."

Lawrence smiled, gesturing back towards the foyer. "I will lead you to the west wing."

The Raijinshuu gave Laxus worried looks, but he shook them off. The three mages reluctantly headed off towards the east end of the mansion while Laxus followed begrudgingly behind the man and the demon. His chest puffed while he crossed his arms, clearly displeased. The pair were suddenly acting quite chummy with one another, conversing freely about the house and the town. He hated it.

Their conversation continued as they were heading down the hall on the second floor.

"So, Lawrence," Lilin said. "What do you do here in town?"

"I was a merchant."

"Was?"

"Y-Yes. But business hasn't been great these past fifty years. As you can see by our barren walls, I had to sell a few of our belongings."

Laxus hadn't wanted to pay attention to their conversation, but something perked his interest. "Fifty years?" The man barely looked old enough to pass for thirty let alone fifty.

Lawrence winced. "Sorry, I meant my family. I merely continued their work."

Laxus released a breath through his nose. "How unfortunate." It sounded harsh, but he lacked a proper filter in that moment. Especially since Lilin was looking at the man as if he was good enough to eat.

They all paused when the lights started to flicker.

Laxus growled, his senses on alert. "Something's coming."

The apparition quivered in front of them for just a second. Then, before Laxus could blink, a pale woman appeared in front of him, hair long and dark. Her face was sunken and pale and her eyes were pitch black. Laxus' hands darted towards his ears when the apparition reared back and screeched. She lurched forward, swiping at him with clawed hands and Laxus was forced to leap back. A quick bolt of lightning sent the woman back, screaming. She disappeared just as fast as she came.

"What was that?" Laxus asked, still on high alert.

"A vengeful spirit," Lilin answered. "Similar to what you call ghosts. They are human souls that have been left behind after death, unable to pass to hell or heaven. Over time they fester into whatever we just saw."

"H-How terrifying," Lawrence said. He held a hand to his face in terror.

For some reason, Laxus didn't believe him. "Come on, we should keep moving."

They passed through a few more rooms on their hunt for the demon. More spirits moved to attack, armed with flickering lights and exploding windows, but they were small fry for Laxus. The lightning mage wondered how the Raijinshuu were fairing. They hadn't encountered the demon yet, he hoped it wasn't on the east end with them.

After dealing with another spirit, Laxus growled in frustration. "This is getting us nowhere."

"I agree."

Lilin materialized next to him. Lawrence was still ahead, leading them through the room. Laxus' breath hitched when she trailed her hand down his arm and hissed when one of her claws nicked his skin. It was a thin cut, but blood started welling from the wound.

"Oh my," Lilin said, in mock concern. "That last spirit must have managed to cut you."

Laxus wanted to ask her what the hell that was for, but she silenced him with two fingers to his lips. He followed her gaze towards Lawrence, who was suddenly as stiff as board. His shoulders started to tremble and through a mirror on the other end of the room, Laxus could see a snarl on the man's face.

 _What the?_

The look was gone in a split second. Instead, Lawrence turned with a bright smile, gesturing them towards the next room.

"This is the last one on this floor."

Laxus and Lilin entered the room. It was empty, with only an old chandelier hanging form the ceiling. Laxus turned to ask Lawrence where their next destination was, but was alarmed when the man was nowhere in sight.

"Where did-"

Laxus was cut off when thick, tree roots struck through the floors, aiming straight for him. He leapt backwards, lightning already dancing on his skin.

"What the hell is happening?"

A small chuckle made him turn. There was Lawrence, leaning against the door frame with a slick smile on his face. "Annoying. What are such powerful mages doing taking on such a low paying job?"

Laxus growled. "What were you expecting instead?"

"An easy kill," the man laughed, his voice deepening significantly.

"You used the job as bait?"

"Why not? It's easier than going out hunting. And most of the time, I don't even have to do any work. The spirits take care of it all for me."

"So, you're the demon then."

Lawrence cracked a smile and his eyes flickered lazily to Lilin. "Quite a slow one, you've picked there, Lilin."

"You know him? What the hell is going on?"

"The man's been possessed," Lilin said, looking disappointed. "The demon inside I don't know."

Lawrence laughed. "But of course, everyone knows you. Our little half-blood-"

Lilin's scythe was out and swinging before the demon could finish his sentence. Anger blazed in her eyes. She was obviously not fond of the word 'half-blood'.

"Oops!" Lawrence exclaimed, leaping out of the way. "That's my cue to leave." Several tree roots shot up from the floor and down from the ceiling, blocking their way to him. "I guess I'll take a stab at those three on the second floor. Shall I?"

"Damn it!" Laxus sent a blast of lightning towards the vines, but they wouldn't budge. "He's heading for the Raijinshuu."

Lilin slashed through the roots, but they were getting replaced faster than she could get rid of them. "I think you should worry about yourself first."

Laxus growled in frustration as he dodged another vine. He was prepared to move again when his body froze.

 _No. Not right now!_

Pain shot through his body, paralyzing his limbs. One of his hands gripped at his chest, begging for the pain to stop. It was the magic-barrier particles. Even with the antidote created by Porlyusica, it still wasn't enough to cure him.

Laxus watched with wide eyes as a sharp vine raced towards him. It was only in the last second that he felt a shove to his body.

A piercing cry echoed throughout the room.

Laxus turned. The vine that had been aimed for him was now pierced straight through Lilin's chest. Her eyes were wide, but with determination. Her teeth were gritted. The vine pulled back, ripping a gaping hole just above her breasts. Blood gushed out of the wound and onto the tiled floor.

"Lilin!"

She had saved him. Despite all their arguments, all their misunderstandings, her anger, her frustrations…she still saved him.

Laxus willed his body to move, forcing himself to overcome the pain from the barrier particles. She remained standing, an indifferent expression on her face.

"I'm fine," she said, even as more blood flooded out of the wound.

"No, you're not!" Laxus replied. He panicked when he saw how much blood she was losing. He could tell her flesh was already knitting itself back together, but it wasn't fast enough. _Come on…_

He exhaled as his episode finally ended, releasing him from pain's grasp. Gaining use of his limbs again, Laxus pulled her to him. She tried to push him away, but he wouldn't have it. He lifted her up into his arms, leaping away just as another vine tried to impale them.

"We can't keep going like this," Laxus said, worry seeping into his voice. "We need to get you somewhere safe." His heart clenched after seeing her in pain, seeing her bleed for him. How many times has it been now, dragon or demon, that she has saved him?

She glanced up at him. "I have a solution."

"No, you shouldn't be-"

"Just…trust me."

Laxus stiffened. "A-Alright."

A smile graced her lips and she closed her eyes. "Don't fight it."

Laxus wanted to ask her what she meant, but then he felt her darkness. The demonic power spread, brushing against his body. His own magic rose in defense, but he fought to keep it down. She had told him to trust her, and this time, he would.

Her power exploded. The vines were completely obliterated, disintegrating into nothingness. Black specks, remnants of the life that was in this room, drifted down to the floor.

Laxus was speechless.

"We should get going," Lilin said. "Don't worry about me. We need to find the demon before he gets to anyone else."

Laxus looked down at her and was alarmed to find her lips growing pale. Gritting his teeth, he promised to himself that he wouldn't let her get into anymore harm.

"No, you need help."

"Please, just listen."

Laxus didn't want to. He wanted to retreat, get help, to do something that would help ease her pain. But he listened. Following Lawrence's scent, he tracked him down the floors. Thankfully they hadn't met any more vines or spirits.

They were on the main floor again when he heard their shouts.

"Laxus!"

Laxus let out a sigh of relief when the Raijinshuu came down the hallway. "You guys okay?"

"A little scratched up, but we're fine," Evergreen said. Her eyes lit up in alarm when she noticed Lilin's state. She gasped. "What happened?"

"No time to explain, we need to find the bastard who did this," he growled. He was going to find him and rip him to pieces.

"The cellar," Lilin said, her voice wispy. She shifted slightly and his heart pained when she winced.

Laxus glanced at her in confusion.

She pointed down the hall. "Follow the scent of blood…"

Laxus nodded and they hurried towards the cellar. She was right. The moment he stood in front of the doors at the end of the basement, the scent of blood hit him like a storm. A weight settled in his gut at thought of what he might find on the other side.

He kicked in the door, sending fragments of wood flying into the cellar. His eyes soaked in the scene inside the room and he went pale.

"Oh my god…" someone said.

All along the walls of the cellar, both men and women were strung up by their hands. Blood ran down their bodies and soaked into the walls. Their heads hung forward; their limbs were limp. Laxus had no doubt that these people were long dead.

"What the hell?!" Bickslow exclaimed.

"He's a blood demon," Lilin said, her breaths still shallow. "He must have been collecting from them for some time. Their souls have been corrupted, it's why they haunt the mansion. They can't find rest." She perked up, eyes narrowing. "They're coming."

Wispy white apparitions lifted themselves from the bodies of the dead. Each were pale with sunken cheeks. It took no time for them to recognize the intruders.

"Raijinshuu!" Laxus commanded.

"Yes!"

The three of them held the ghostly apparitions at bay. Laxus pushed onward, holding Lilin to his chest, protecting her from harm. He paused when he felt her pull at his arm.

"Take me to their bodies."

Laxus didn't stop to ask questions. He carried the demoness over to the first one, a young woman whose neck had been slit. He fought his reflex to gag when the smell of blood grew stronger.

"Put me down."

He did as she asked. She staggered up to the woman's body and placed a hand against her chest. She started to whisper.

A shriek pierced through the room.

"Hold her back for me," Lilin said, as she continued.

Laxus didn't have to ask what she meant. A split second later, the woman's ghost came barreling towards them, claws drawn. He held her back with small jolts of lightning, listening to the light incantations from the demon behind him.

He knew she was finished when the ghost stopped. She let out a gasp and her eyes rolled back into their sockets. Her body lit up, almost blinding him in the room and then she disappeared.

"You calmed her soul," Laxus said, after turning back to Lilin. He steadied her when she started to sway.

"It's not usually part of my job," Lilin responded, moving onto the next. "I normally only ferry those souls who will go to Hell."

She quickly made her way through the other bodies in the room. One by one she purified their souls, sending them on to heaven.

Eventually, there was silence.

Freed let out a sigh, finally allowing himself to breathe after all this mess. He felt his heart twist in sympathy for the people who were caught up in all this mess. He found his eyes drifting towards Lilin, a part of himself starting to change the way he thought about her.

Perhaps she wasn't just a murderer after-all.

Across the room, Laxus was having the same thoughts.

"He's waiting for us," Lilin said, gesturing towards the next room.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Laxus asked.

She nodded.

Laxus turned to the Raijinshuu. "Stay here and take care of the bodies. We'll call in case we need back-up." They nodded.

The two of them ventured down the hall until they found what they were looking for.

The demon was waiting for him in the small wine room connected to the main cellar. He leaned against a small table, in front of a wall of red wine bottles, carrying a glass himself. Judging by the smell, Laxus could tell he wasn't drinking wine.

He snarled. "How long have you been doing this?"

"Me?" Lawrence said. He swirled the liquid in his glass. "Oh, I'd say a good fifty years now. I can't just let a perfect body like this go to waste now, can I?" He pushed himself off the table, a grin dancing on his lips. "You would know wouldn't you, princess?" He looked down then back up at her. "After all, he is yours."

 _What does he mean?_ Laxus' eyes snapped over to Lilin, but her face was expressionless.

"Oh? You mean she hasn't told you? This is the body of her former lover after all."

Laxus felt as though he had been punched in the gut. The air had been knocked out of him and he found himself unable to breathe. Former lover? This demon was in the body of her former lover?

It was her laughter that brought him out of his misery.

"For such a low-level demon, you sure speak a lot of nonsense."

"Wha-"

It all happened within the blink of an eye. One moment, Lilin was standing next to him, and the next, she was in front of the demon.

"So, you can shut up now," she said, her voice cold and empty. With no remaining hesitation, she plunged her hand into the demon's chest. The demon gasped and choked back but it wasn't his heart that Lilin managed to grasp. When she pulled back from his chest, there was no wound nor blood. Instead, she was holding a black, swirling orb of energy in her hands.

Was that the demon's soul?

With a lick of her lips, Lilin consumed the demon's soul, sighing in satisfaction. Laxus watched with fascination as the wound in her chest started to heal a little more.

Lawrence's body slumped forward. Lilin managed to catch him before he fell to the ground. Laxus was reminded of her strength when she hauled the man's body back over her shoulder.

"Let's go," she said, looking back. "He should wake within the hour."

Laxus glanced back and forth between her and the man, feeing a surge of jealousy. He couldn't help, but ask. "Was he really…"

Lilin raised a brow. "What my _lover_?"

He didn't like that coming from her lips when it wasn't geared towards him. His displeasure must have been written plainly across his lips for she laughed almost instantly.

He scowled. "What's so funny?"

"You," she replied. They had made it back to the main room. The Raijinshuu weren't here anymore and neither were the dead bodies. They must have brought them back to the surface for a proper burial. "Teasing you is quickly becoming my favourite pastime."

"Wha-"

"Well, to answer your question," she said, shooting him a sly smile. "This man does belong to me..."

The twist in his heart was painful.

"…as my servant."

 _Wait._ "What?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Did you really believe that he was my lover?" Her eyes were dark and the slightest sense of gold was shimmering at him with mirth. "Did you not believe in your little Sunshine as well?"

"What do you mean-" _Oh._ Laxus felt his face heat up in embarrassment. He had forgotten that Leora had never taken a human lover before. That was until him.

Her light laughter echoed inside the chamber. She shifted the man's weight on her should before she made her way upstairs.

"Humans…so simple minded."

* * *

Lilin was correct, as always, as the man known as Lawrence did indeed wake within the next hour. They had situated him in a large room on third floor. There was only a bed and a chair left inside as it was barely furnished. The Raijinshuu waited in the corner, having just returned from burying the dead in the back of the estate.

Laxus stood behind Lilin while she said in a chair next to the bed. A part of him was slightly miffed she had been watching over this man for the past hour, but each time he felt any source of displeasure, he remembered.

She had never taken taken a human lover aside from him.

It was such a simple thought and yet it kept him satisfied. A simple human he was indeed.

The man's eyes blinked once, twice before opening fully. His brows furrowed in confusion, and he rose from the bed. The sheets pooled around his waist as he looked around. His eyes settled upon Lilin and they widened in recognition.

"My lady!"

"Lawrence…" Lilin said, getting straight to the point. The threat was already building in her voice. "What happened here?"

Lawrence immediately bowed his head. "My sincere apologies, my lady. It was a slight lapse in control and I let the demon take over. It will not happen again."

Lilin sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I suppose its partially my fault, having disappeared for so long."

Lawrence shook his head. "No, it is my duty to wait for your return." It was then that the man finally turned towards Laxus. "And this time, you brought guests. Do you belong to the mistress as well?"

Laxus' jaw tightened. "N-No, of course not." As if he would be a servant to the demoness.

Lawrence appeared genuinely surprised. "If not a servant, then perhaps, a lover?"

Laxus stuttered at his question and behind him the Raijinshuu laughed amongst themselves.

"No," Lilin answered for him with a mocking smile. "It appears demons aren't quite his taste."

He winced. She couldn't still be mad at his rejection the night before…could she?

Something flashed through Lawrence's eyes. Amusement perhaps?

"Ah, I see." Lawrence swung his legs around and stood from the bed. "You all must be tired from the trip. Perhaps I could prepare dinner and a few rooms for you to rest in."

"Oh, no you should rest," Freed said. The man had, after all, been possessed by a demon for the past fifty years.

"Oh, no there is no need. I am quite well. I draw my energy from my mistress after all."

"A-Alright then," Freed replied. "That would be lovely." He figured it was best for all of them to rest tonight.

"Very well," Lawrence said with a small bow. He turned to Lilin. "My lady, shall I escort you back to your room?"

"No need. I can find it on my own." With that, Lilin left the room, brushing past Laxus along the way.

"Damn boss…" Bickslow commented with a whistle. "That was cold."

"Shut up, Bicks," Laxus grumbled.

* * *

After he had washed up, Laxus found himself with the Raijinshuu in the main dining hall. Lilin was not present. It was strange. Just a few hours ago, the entire place was barren, and yet now it was filled with décor. There were bright chandeliers lining the ceiling and expensive looking paintings hanging on the walls. Even the silverware appeared to be quite exquisite.

"I had sold all of this," Lawrence said, breaking Laxus from his thoughts. The man was now dressed like a butler, all in black and white. He gestured around him. "It seems the mistress didn't like that. She must've taken all the pieces back."

"So, she stole it."

Lawrence chuckled. "No need for harsh words here, sir." He walked over and poured water into his glass. "My lady simply doesn't like when someone takes her…belongings."

Laxus snorted. "Where is she anyways?"

"She is resting," Lawrence answered. "It has been quite…taxing for her."

Laxus frowned. Maybe he should check on her. His mind kept replaying the images from earlier that day. He couldn't stop the feelings welling in his heart at the thought of her protecting him. At the thought of her caring.

Dinner was brought out a few minutes later, but Laxus could only pick as his food.

Across the table, Freed was still admiring the paintings on the wall. "This art style…it must be from centuries ago."

"Three hundred years, if I remember correctly. My father had them commissioned back in the day."

"Your father?" Evergreen asked, slightly confused.

Lawrence nodded. "Yes."

"How long have you been alive…"

"It's hard to say. I gave my soul to Lady Lilin two-hundred and fifty years ago. I've been 'alive' since then."

"Why'd you do it?" Laxus asked, shifting a little closer in his seat.

Lawrence glanced at one of the paintings on the wall. It didn't take long for Laxus to notice that it was one of Lawrence himself…and another woman.

"She came to me…when I was on my death bed. I had contracted some sort of sickness and it had taken me by surprise." His hand lifted to brush softly against the painting. "I asked her for one day. One more day with my wife in exchange for anything she wanted." He smiled. "She didn't give me one day. Instead, she gave me another lifetime. I spent another thirty-years with my wife before she passed away. And since that day, I've served my lady whole-heartedly. And I will continue to do so until she no longer has need for me."

"That's…" Evergreen whispered. She was filled with regret after her behaviour a few days before. She had judged her so terribly, and yet she was simply carrying out her duty.

"So, you are human," Freed said.

"Yes."

"Are you comfortable with...what she is?"

Lawrence walked back around, refilling Freed's glass of water. "It does not matter to me who or what my mistress is. I was fully aware of what she was capable of. She does what is needed by the earth. Nothing more and nothing less. It is simply her duty."

 _Her duty…_ Laxus thought.

Lawrence then turned to them all, a soft but stern expression to his face. "My lady may not be kind or loving, but she will always be fair."

The rest of the Raijinshuu quieted and Laxus let the conversation stew in his head for the rest of dinner.

After Lawrence had cleaned up, he gave them a slight bow. "I hope you have enjoyed your dinner."

"It was lovely, thank you," Freed answered with a smile.

"Yeah, it was amazing," Bickslow added. His babies repeated the same thing.

"I must return to my lady, she appears to be calling for me."

Laxus furrowed his brow. "I didn't hear anything." And he was the one with the heightened senses.

Lawrence smiled. "Being bound as a servant grants me certain…connections with my master." He placed a hand to his chest. "My soul can hear her calling for me."

Laxus' fists clenched underneath the table. Why the hell was she calling for him of all people?

He didn't want the answer to that, but Lawrence gave it anyways. "It appears she is in need for sustenance."

"Sustenance?" Freed asked.

"Demons feed off of energy, be it life, magic, or _other kinds._ " The suggestion wasn't lost on Laxus. "A part of why demons bind servants like me is so we can collect energy as we live out our lives. They then can feed off our energy as they see fit."

Laxus was suddenly reminded of the image from the night before, when Lilin fed off of him. Her lips pressed to his skin, her tongue lathing across his chest. His brain then switched him for Lawrence and before he knew it, he was abruptly on his feet, his chair scraping against the floor as he stood.

"No."

"No?"

"Do I need to repeat that for you?" Laxus said with a growl. "I can help her."

Lawrence placed a gloved hand to his face. "That won't do. I was supposed to assist my lady with her bath later in the night. I can't neglect my duty."

"No need," Laxus cut him off, his voice having gone rough. His eyes flashed darker. "I'll take care of everything. You. Stay. Here." With that, he stomped off up the stairs, grumbling to himself the entire way.

The Raijinshuu waited until Laxus was out of hearing range before sighing.

"Why do you tease him?" Evergreen asked with a sly grin. Her eyes danced with amusement at her leader's actions. He was clearly jealous of the man, servant or not.

"Whatever do you mean?" Lawrence asked, the corner of his lip lifting. "I simply live to serve my master to the fullest."

"And that means sending a grumpy dragon slayer her way," Bickslow commented with a laugh.

"It's amusing," Lawrence responds, glancing towards the doorway. "Her soul is at its most calm when he is in her vicinity and yet with a single word from his lips, it quivers for him."

"Ah," Bickslow replied, resting his head against his palm. "What a way to describe love."

* * *

She was dressed in a thin silk robe, her hair cascading over her shoulders, when he entered. She looked over at him from her seat by her vanity.

"Oh, it's you."

Laxus' eye twitched. "Something wrong with that?"

Amusement danced in her eyes. "No." She stood, heading towards the baths that connected to the room. "If you're here, then come help."

He followed her into the baths. Warm steam lifted from the small pools in the large area, making him start to sweat. His breath hitched when she stopped in front of one of them and proceeded to strip herself of the robe, slowly revealing to him her bare back. She sat down on the stone floor and dipped her legs into the water.

"Come."

His feet moved on their own. Losing an article of his own clothing with each step, he was just as bare as she was by the time he stopped and kneeled behind her. He brushed her long, black hair to the side and winced when he saw the red mark in the center of her back. She hadn't healed fully from her injury. It was his fault. He should've been more careful.

Before she could stop him, he grabbed hold of her waist, dipped down and trailed his tongue along her reddened flesh.

She gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Doing what your servant can't," he mumbled as he made another pass along her flesh. She arched away, but he held her firm. His tongue made a couple more strokes along her skin, drawing light sounds from her lips, until her flesh was no longer a dark pink.

She was breathing heavily. Smiling, Laxus picked up a cloth from a pile nearby and soaped it up. He gently wiped the cloth over her back, watching as her body relaxed into his touch. If he had glanced at her face just then, he would've seen that her eyes were closed.

When he was done with her back, Laxus slipped into the water in front of her. Frowning at the raw flesh just above her breasts, he proceeded to press his tongue along that spot as well.

"Laxus…"

He wasn't quite sure what he was doing. He had told himself he shouldn't get physically intimate with her. Not before he knew where his heart lay, but something compelled him to stay. To soothe her, to heal her.

His hands rested on her thighs as he moved in closer. He could feel her quiver from his touch. Her eyes, now open, watched him intensely, following his every move.

When he was done, Laxus remained where he was. He tilted his head upwards. "Why did you protect me?"

She seemed startled by the question. "Perhaps I was delusional."

"Be serious."

She faced away. "My body moved on its own…"

He smiled. "Thank you."

He couldn't tell if it was the heat of the springs that made her cheeks redden. The flush spread down her neck and Laxus couldn't help but find her mesmerizing, in more ways than one. Before he knew it he was blurting it out.

"Do you…care about me?"

She seemed a little startled. "Would I still be here if I didn't?" There was a strange warmth in her eyes, a wanting, and for once he knew that she wished for something more as well. "It's you who doesn't want me-"

"You're wrong," Laxus interrupted.

Her eyes became a dark pool of uncertainty, something that most definitely mirrored his. She shook her head as if to clear her mind. Instead of responding to him, she tugged on his hand.

"Your turn."

Laxus sat still on the stone floor as she bathed him. It was soothing, the warm heat of the springs mixed with her gentle scent. She knelt behind him, passing the cloth slowly against his back.

When she was done, she placed the cloth down and replaced it with her hands. He twitched at her touch and completely froze when suddenly the magic barrier particles in his veins acted up again. _No. Not now._

"Relax…" she whispered softly into his ear. Her hands trailed along his skin and Laxus felt the particles respond to her touch.

"What are you doing?"

She shushed him, instead focusing on his back. He winced when her hand brushed by his heart, feeling the pain, but then the particles seemed to follow her touch. She glided her hands away from his center drawing away his pain as well. It was as though she was spreading the magic barrier particles thinner, throughout his body instead of having them concentrate in his organs. The ache slowly lessened until it became bearable.

Laxus released the breath he didn't know he was holding.

Her arms draped around his shoulder and he felt her body press into his back. "If you were mine…this pain…I can take it from you forever."

Her breath danced against his ear. "Give yourself to me."

He froze. He sat there for a long time, unable to answer her question. Eventually, her arms slithered back. He heard her breath hitch and then the soft padding of her feet as she left the baths. His heart clenched in guilt, but this wasn't how he wanted things to go.

This time, he wanted to do things right.

* * *

Lilin was a mixture of disappointment, frustration and anger when she walked back into her room. It was clear that he felt something for her, so why refuse her? Does he not understand what she was offering?

She wasn't asking for him to bond with her as a servant. No, she wanted…something more.

 _'He needs more time.'_

Lilin hissed at the voice inside her head. _I don't have time!_

Lilin was steps away from her bed when suddenly her legs gave out. She crumbled to the floor, eyes wide in panic. This time there was no pain and no blood. She simply lost the strength in her legs. It was her fault. She was supposed to keep her power reined in, but in her flustered state while hunting that demon, watching _him_ almost get killed, she had let it loose. Now her body was paying the price.

Heart beating rapidly, she willed her legs to move but they didn't budge an inch. She glanced back at the entrance to the baths in a panic. She had to get up. She couldn't let him see her like this.

Gritting her teeth, she dragged herself along the floor, tears welling in her eyes at her pathetic state. Her breaths quickened when she started to hear the sound of splashing water and then footsteps approaching. Her hands clawed at the bed desperately, but in the end, it took help from her wings in order to lift herself up.

She collapsed on to the bed, panting as she laid down, her hair spilling around her in a mess. Second later, Laxus emerged from the baths.

She turned to her side, facing away from him in hopes he couldn't see her flustered state. Taking deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. She listened as he stopped at the side of her bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concern flooding into his voice.

She winced, curling up into herself. She still couldn't feel her legs. "N-Nothing." Did he notice? Could he sense her fear?

"A-Are you? Shit." She felt the mattress dip as he shifted onto the bed behind her. She stiffened when he pulled her back into his chest. His breath tickled her neck as he spoke. "I-It wasn't a no. Me not answering you. It's just…not now."

She let out her breath, relief flooding her veins as she realized he was talking about what she had said. He hadn't noticed. It took her a few seconds to register his words again and when she did warmth coloured her cheeks.

Laxus could feel his nerves going haywire. "I want to do things right. I want to start over, for real this time."

He heard the small inhale of breath before she whispered, "How?"

Laxus sat up and shifted so he was leaning against the headboard. He pulled her in towards him, lifting her so she sat in his lap. Her legs dragged along the sheets, causing them to bunch by her ankles. She looked up at him with confusion before he finally asked her. "What's your favourite flower?"

Her brows furrowed.

"Humour me."

"White magnolias."

"Why?"

She paused, her eyes dropping to her hands in her lap. "During the time I was…captured, all those years ago, they used to grow just outside of my cell. You could see them just through the small window near the back. In the spring, their scent carried all the way inside."

Laxus breath stalled. Even after all the time they spent together, Leora never truly delved into the details of her twenty-year capture by humans. He had always deemed it a taboo topic. He was shocked she'd share it with him now. "Tell me more…please."

"I was terrified," Lilin admitted as she curled up against his chest. She didn't know why she was alright with this level of intimacy with the dragon slayer, but telling him just felt…right. "Every once in a while they would come in with something new. A new whip, a new branding stick, just something. And each time, I would refuse their demands. It was...painful. My powers were subdued; I couldn't heal, all I could do was feel the pain."

Laxus heart clenched in sympathy. He pulled her in closer, one of his hands smoothing her hair, hoping he could provide just a moment's worth of comfort for her. "And after?"

"Zeref came for me," she said and for the first time, Laxus could understand the underlying worship in the way she said his name. He was truly her savior. The one who rescued her from that life of fear and pain. "At first I was so angry. I wanted to destroy every human in sight." She unfurled her clenched fist. "But I know I was wrong. Two hundred years in hell is a long time to reflect."

"What's it like there? In hell?"

"Hot," Lilin laughed softly before a frown took over her face. "Lonely…they don't want me there."

That had Laxus confused. "What do you mean?"

"Surely you heard that demon yesterday back in the bar. I'm a half-blood. Not a pure demon. To make things worse, I'm half dragon."

"Something you demons have against dragons?" Laxus asked, just the slightest bit offended.

She laughed lightly. "Demons and dragons have…history. You might not know since its lost knowledge, but before humans and before dragons, demons ruled this earth. They roamed far and wide, consuming everything in their path. As a result, nothing grew. One day, dragons came to this land; they say from a second realm. Demons and dragons fought for dominance for centuries until the dragons won. They banished the demons into hell and ruled the earth in their place. To the earth's benefit, I guess, seeing as you are now here."

Laxus absorbed every word she said and understood how her existence was an odd one. _Not that I care._ He startled himself with that thought, seeing as it came with such ease. He had gained access to another side of her tonight, insight into the creature she truly was. And despite that, it didn't make him want her any less.

"I know you probably won't believe me," Laxus said, his eyes meeting hers. "But dragon, demon or both, you're wanted here."

Her lips parted. She turned away from his gaze and he swore he could see the beginnings of a blush. _So, demons can blush, huh._

"You humans like to talk about strange topics," Lilin murmured.

Laxus chuckled. "Only with you." He looked down further when her hand tugged against his shirt.

"Then, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead. Shoot."

She shifted in his lap until she was face-to-face with him. Without a word, she only spared him the slightest curl of a smile before she kissed him.

Laxus was startled, the rapid beating of his heart drowning out any other thoughts he might have. But once past the initial shock, he found himself responding, closing his eyes and deepening the kiss. This kiss conveyed a million words. Words of apology, words of forgiveness and the first words of understanding. Perhaps they could truly start over.

His hands found themselves on her hips as she straddled his lap. Finding himself nervous, he flickered his tongue gently against her lips, pleased when they parted for him. Their tongues entangled with one another and he felt a burst of pride when he heard her slight moan.

When Laxus felt the first jolt of electricity he tightened his grip, praying she didn't try to run away. Again, he felt the Bond reform on shaky ground, and with it came small trickles of emotion that must be what she was feeling.

Hints of fear and nervousness.

Laxus felt himself reaching through to reassure her, to let her know without words that this doesn't change the new connection they had made. That the reformation of their old bond wouldn't ruin the new, only strengthen it.

He was elated when she accepted.

Lilin didn't know how it was possible, but when she was with him, he healed her. Strength returned to her legs when the Bond reformed, power surging through her body. For a moment she felt more alive than she had since she had reawakened. She pressed into him, asking for more. More of what, she wasn't sure.

They were both slightly out of breath when she pulled back. Laxus watched her through hazy vision until something caught his eye.

"Your hair…"

Lilin looked down, following Laxus' gaze, and to her own shock found just one lock of hair that was different.

It was blonde.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Slowly getting there! It's taking me a lot longer to write these now, so thanks for sticking with me._**

 ** _Until the next chapter!_**


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